THE 


FRIES  REBELLION 


1798-99 


AN  ARMED  RESISTANCE  TO  THE  HOUSE  TAX  LAW,  PASSED  BY  CON 
GRESS,  JULY  9,   1798,   IN   BUCKS  AND  NORTHAMPTON 
COUNTIES,   PENNSYLVANIA. 


BY 


W.  W.  H.  DAVIS,  A.  M 


AUTHOR  OF    "EL  GRINGO,    OR    NEW   MEXICO    AND   HER     PEOPLE;"    "HISTORY   OF   THE 
I04TH    PENNSYLVANIA  REGIMENT;"    "LIFE  OF   GENERAL  JOHN  LACEY  ;"    "HIS 
TORY  OF     THE    HART     FAMILY;    "THE     SPANISH    CONQUEST     OF   NEW 
MEXICO  ;"    "  THE  HISTORY  OF   BUCKS  COUNTY,  PA.;"  "  LIFE  OF 
JOHN   DAVIS,"   AND    "  HISTORY  OF    THE   DOY- 
LESTOWN  GUARDS." 


DOYLESTOWN,  PA. 
1899. 


Entered,  According  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  Year  1899,  by 

WILLIAM  W.  H.  DAVIS, 
In  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington,  D.  C. 


Doylestown  Publishing  Company,  Printers, 
Doylestown,  Penna. 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE 

Title   Page i 

Contents 3 

Illustrations 5 

Dedication 7 

Preface 10 

Chapter  I.     Cause  of  Rebellion,  John  Fries i 

"         II.     Insurgents  Prepare  to  Resist  the  Law. .....  14 

"       III.     Fries  Captures  the  Assessors 25 

"       IV.     Opposition   to    House   Tax    Law    in    North 
ampton  38 

V.     The  Marshal  Makes  Arrests  in  Northampton,  48 
"       VI.     Rescue  of  the  Prisoners  at  Bethlehem    ...      .  57 
"     VII.     The  President  Issues  his  Proclamation. ...  67 
"  VIII.     Troops  Called  Out  to  Suppress  the  Insurrec 
tion 75 

"       IX.     Rev.  Charles   Henry    Helmuth  Issues  an  Ad 
dress 87 

X.     The  Army  Marches  from  Quakertown  to  Allen- 
town    and     Returns  to     Philadelphia    via 

Reading 102 

•'•     XI.     Trial  of  John  Fries 115 

"    XII.     Pardon  of  Fries 129 

"  XIII.     Conclusion 137 

Appendix i 

Index 9 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 

PAGE 

1.  Frontispiece.     W.  W.  H.  Davis 

2.  Threatening  Notice.  . 12 

3.  Sellers'  Tavern 26 

Erected  About  1780. 

4.  Old  Friends  Meeting  House,  Quakertown 42 

Torn  Down  1862. 

5.  William  Henry .  .    56 

6.  Crown  Inn,  South  Bethlehem 74 

7.  Old  Lancaster  House,  Quakertown 90 

Torn  Down  1841. 

8.  Bridge  Over  the  Lehigh 106 

Built  About  1795.     Torn  Down  1817. 

9.  Present  Friends  Meeting  House,  Quakertown 124 

10.     Sun   Inn,  Bethlehem. 140 

About  1791. 


Dedication. 

This  Volume  is  Dedicated  to  the  Students  of  History. 


PREFACE. 


In  presenting  this  volume  to  the  public,  it  seems  meet  and 
proper  the  circumstances,  under  which  it  was  written  and 
published,  should  be  stated. 

I  purchased  the  Doylestown  (Pa.)  Democrat  1858,  and,  be 
ing  interested  in  local  history,  began  collecting  the  facts, 
relating  to  the  armed  resistance  to  the  house-tax  law  of  1/98, 
and  writing  it  up  for  my  paper.  I  had  heard  a  good  deal  of 
it  in  my  youth  and  was  curious  to  know  more.  It  had  its 
birth  in  Milford  township,  Bucks  county,  Pa. ;  thence  extend 
ing  into  the  adjoining  townships  of  Northampton,  and,  in  un 
written  history,  was  known  as  the  "  Milford  Rebellion."  There 
is  no  evidence  that  the  people  of  Montgomery  county  had 
any  part  in  it. 

I  visited  the  locality  where  Fries  and  his  "  insurgents,"  as 
they  were  called,  operated  ;  interviewed  his  son  Daniel,  his 
only  surviving  child,  then  an  old  man  of  over  70,  and  others 
who  lived  in  that  section  at-  the  time  of  the  trouble,  hunted 
up  all  the  known  records  and  examined  the  newspaper  files  of 
the  period.  By  the  winter  of  1859-63  I  had  collected  con 
siderable  material  and  published  portions  of  it  in  my  news 
paper.  Since  then  additional  matter  has  been  added  to  the 
text,  and  many  new  facts,  pertinent  to  the  subject,  are  em 
bodied  in  foot  notes. 

Being  satisfied  the  facts,  relating  to  this  interesting  episode, 
would  have  been  lost,  had  they  not  been  collected  when  they 
were;  and  believing  them  of  sufficient  interest  to  be  preserved 


PREFACE.  XI 

in  some  more  enduring  way,  then  attaches  to  the  columns  of  a 
weekly  newspaper,  I  determined  to  publish  them  in  book 
form.  The  manuscript  was  prepared  for  the  press  several 
years  ago,  but  the  publication  was  deferred,  from  time  to 
time  until  the  present,  and  it  is  now  given  to  the  public  with 
some  misgivings.  The  events  narrated  are  not  only  interesting 
in  themselves,  but  too  suggestive  of  the  friction  between  th.e 
people  and  their  newly  established  government,  to  allow  them 
to  become  lost  to  the  student  of  history.  I  have  several 
friends  to  thank,  including  Messrs.  John  W.  Jordan,*  Charles 
Broadhead,  Bethlehem,  and  Ellwood  Roberts,  Norristown,  in 
the  matter  of  furnishing  illustrations  for  the  volume. 

W.  W.  H.  DAVIS. 
Doylestown,  Pa.,  March  4.,  1899. 


*Pennsylvania  Historical  Society. 


THREATENING  LETTER. 


The  following  is  a  translation  of  the  threatening  letter  fac 
ing  page  12,  sent,  by  an  insurgent,  to  Captain  Jarrett,  and  is 
one  of  the  earliest  exhibitions  of  Kukluxism  extant  : 

A  sure  warning  (certain  report)  to  you  John  Sheret  if  you 
have  already  advised  the  people  who  are  for  liberty  that  they 
should  not  go  armed  to  Bethlehem,  you  need  not  discourage 
others  any  more  as  you  are  already  a  cursed  stambler  as  are 
many  others  in  this  neighborhood.  Your  brother  Henry  also 
said  that  the  people  should  not  have  done  that  to  go  against 
the  government.  He  was  scared  when  he  came  to  Bethlehem 
and  saw  the  people  with  weapons.  (A  line  of  the  original 
here  cannot  be  translated.)  So  Earl*  is  a  devil  as  you  and 
John  Sheret,  I  say  in  case  of  an  outbreak  I  will  burn  your 
house  and  barn  and  will  shoot  you  and  your  brother  dead 
wherever  I  shall  detect  you  cursed  stamblers.  If  it  would  not 
be  for  your  brother  Henry  most  surely  Bethlehem  would  re 
ceive  its  deserving  reward.  The  cursed  advice  would  be  frus 
trated.  And  you  are  never  safe  in  your  house.  You  and  Earl* 
are  cursed  stambles  knaves  one  as  the  other  else  you  would  not 
dissuade  the  people  who  are  for  liberty. 

These  are  the  weapons  for  your  slaughter. 

*Eyerley. 


Jfrief   Rebellion. 


CHAPTER  I. 

Cause    of    the    Rebellion  ;  «JoHn    F'ries. 

Between  the  close  of  the  Revolution  and  the  end  of  the 
Century,  three  events  transpired  in  the  United  States  that 
gave  serious  alarm  to  the  friends  of  republican  institutions. 

The  first  of  these,  known  in  history  as  "  Shays'  Rebellion," 
was  an  unlawful  combination  in  Massachusetts,  1786,  directed 
against  the  State  Government.  Its  head  and  front  was  Daniel 
Shays,1  who  had  been  a  Captain  in  the  Continental  army,  and 
left  behind  him  the  reputation  of  a  brave  and  faithful  officer. 
The  outbreak  was  soon  quelled,  but  not  before  some  of  the 
misguided  participants  had  paid  the  penalty  with  their  lives. 
The  second  event,  in  the  order  of  time,  was  the  "  Whiskey  In 
surrection,"2  in  the  southwestern  counties  of  Pennsylvania, 
1792.  It  reached  such  magnitude,  by  the  fall  of  1794,  that 


1  Daniel  Shays,  born    1747,  at   Hopkinton,  Mass.,  served  as    ensign    at  the    battle  of 
Bunker's  Hill,  and  attained  the  rank  of  Captain  in   the  Continental    Army.      In  1786  he 
took  part  in  the  popular  movement  in  Western  Massachusetts  for  the  redress  of   alleged 
grievances,  and  became  the  leader  in  the  rebellion  which   bears  his  name.     Shays,  after 
being  pardoned,  removed  to  Vermont  and  thence  to  New  York,  where   he  died  Sept.  29, 
1825.     In  his  old  age  he  was  allowed  a  pension  for  his  services  during  the  Revolution. 

2  The  "  Whiskey    Insurrection"  was   a   disturbance  in    the  south-western    section    of 
Pennsylvania,  caused  by    Congress  imposing  a   tax  on  all   ardent  spirits  distilled   in  the 
United  States  three  years  previously.     The   object  of    the  tax  was  to  improve  the   reve 
nues  of  the  government.     It  is  charged  that  Genet,  the    French   minister,  and  his  par- 
tizans  incited  the   people  of   the  distilling   regions  to  resist  the  tax  collectors.     The  dis 
affected  rose  in  arms.     Washington  issued  two  proclamations  warning  the  insurgents  to 
disperse  but,  instead  of  obeying,  they  fired  upon  and  captured  the  officers  of  the  govern 
ment.     A  military  force  15,000  strong,  was  then  organized  and  sent   into  the   disturbed 
district,  to  enforce  the  law,  but  the   insurgents  had   already  scattered  when    the   troops 
arrived.     The  whiskey  tax  was  a  measure  of  the  Federal  party. 


2  THE   FRIES   REBELLION. 

3.  > 

President   Washington    sent    a  large    body  of    troops,    under 
Governor  Henry   Lee,3  of   Virginia,  into   the  disaffected    dis 
trict.     The  force  was  so  imposing  the   insurgents   abandoned 
their  organization   and    returned   to  their  homes.     The   third 
attempt  was  that  of  which  we   write,  the   "  Fries    Rebellion/' 
This  took  place  in  contigious  parts  of   Bucks4  and    Northamp 
ton  counties,  in  the    Fall   and   Winter  of    1798-99,  and   is  so 
called   from    the    name   of    the    leader,  John    Fries,  who    was 
mainly  instrumental  in  creating  this  opposition  to  the  Federal 
authority.     In  each  case  the  disturbance  was  caused  in  whole, 
or  in  part,  by  what  the  people   considered  an   unjust  and   un 
lawful  tax,  and  they  resisted   putting  it  in    force.     In  the  two 
latter  cases  the  assessments  to  be    made  were  of   an    unusual 
character,  though  not  heavy  in  amount,  and  the  opposition  to 
it  was  caused,  no  doubt,  by  want  of   correct   information,  and 
not  a  settled  design   to    interfere   with   the   execution  of    the 
law.     The     history    of     the    Fries    Rebellion     proves,     quite 
conclusively,    the    outbreak    was    of    this     character,    and,    if 
proper  means   had   been  taken    by   the  authorities  to    explain 
the    law    and    its    necessity,  to    the    disaffected,   the    extreme 
measures  taken    by   the   general    government  need   not   have 
been  resorted  to.     It  was  fortunate,  however,  the  trouble  was 
brought  to  a  close  without   the  loss  of  life  or   bloodshed,  and 
the  bitterness  engendered  was  not  permanent. 

During  the  Administration  of  John  Adams,  the  frequent 
depredations  of  the  French  upon  our  commerce,  and  their 
disregard  of  our  rights  on  the  high  seas,  as  a  neutral  power  to 
the  sanguinary  conflict  then  devastating  Europe,  induced  the 
belief  that  war  with  France  was  unavoidable.  Congress,  ac- 


3  Governor  Henry  Lee,  Virginia,  who   commanded  the    troops  of  the    Government  in 
the  "Whiskey  Insurrection,"  was  the  famous  "  Light  Horse  Harry"  of   the    Revolution, 
and  rendered  Washington   distinguished    service  as   a  partizan  cavalry   officer.     He  was 
born  in  Westmoreland  county,  Va.,  January   29,  1756.     He  was  appointed  by  Congress 
to  deliver  the  funeral  oration  on  Washington,  1799. 

4  Bucks,  one  of  the  three  original  counties  of  Pennsylvania,  and  organized  with  Phila 
delphia  and  Chester,  1683,  lies  in  the  south-eastern  coroner  of   the  State,  Northampton 
joining  it  on  the   northwest  and    Montgomery,  cut  off   from    Philadelphia,  1782,  bounds 
Bucks  on  the  southwest.     The  district,  where  opposition  to  the  House  tax  law  prevailed, 
was  settled  mainly  by  Germans  ;  there  was  no   opposition   to  speak  of   outside  of  a  few 
townships  in   the  upper   end  of   Bucks  and  the  lower   end  of  Northampton.     Berks  was 
formed  from  Chester,  Philadelphia  and  Lancaster,  1798. 


THE   FRIES   REBELLION.  3 

cordingly,  made  preparation  for  such  emergency  should  it 
arise.  The  military  and  naval  forces  of  the  country  were  in 
creased,  and  General  Washington,  then  living  in  retirement  at 
Mount  Vernon,  was  appointed  to  the  command  of  the  armies 
about  to  be  called  into  the  field.  In  view  of  the  impending 
danger  to  the  country,  Congress  took  such  other  measures  as 
the  President  thought  requisite,  some  of  which  clothed  him 
with  almost  despotic  power.  The  act,  known  as  the  "  Alien 
and  Sedition  Laws,"  gave  him  authority  to  send  obnoxious 
persons  out  of  the  country,  at  pleasure,  and  to  place  others  in 
arrest  accused  of  speaking,  or  writing,  in  disrespectful  terms  of 
the  government.  In  connection  with  these  measures  Con 
gress  made  provision  to  carry  on  the  war,  now  thought  to  be 
near  at  hand,  by  laying  a  direct  tax  to  be  assessed  and  col 
lected  by  agents  appointed  by  the  Federal  government. 

On  July  9,  1798,  an  act  was  passed  providing  "for  the  / 
valuation  of  lands  and  dwelling  houses  and  the  enumeration 
of  slaves  within  the  United  States."  For  making  the  valua 
tion  and  enumeration,  required  by  the  act,  the  States  were  di 
vided  into  districts,  and,  for  each  district,  a  commissioner  was 
appointed  by  the  President  with  a  fixed  salary.  It  was  made 
the  duty  of  the  commissioners  to  sub-divide  these  districts 
into  assessment  districts,  and,  for  each,  appoint  one  principal 
and  as  many  assistants  as  might  be  required.  The  assessors 
were  to  make  out  a  list  of  houses,  lands  and  slaves,  and  after 
ward  to  value  and  assess  them.  On  July  14  Congress  passed 
an  additional  act,  entitled  "  An  Act  to  lay  and  collect  a  direct  / 
tax  within  the  United  States,"  fixing  the  amount  to  be  raised 
at  $2,000,000,  of  which  $237,1/7.72  was  the  portion  allotted  to 
Pennsylvania.  The  rates  of  assessments  to  be  made  under 
this  act  were  as  follows  :  Where  the  dwelling  and  outhouses, 
on  a  lot  not  exceeding  two  acres,  were  valued  at  more  than 
$100  and  not  exceeding  §500,  there  was  to  be  assessed  a  sum 
equal  to  two-tenths  of  one  per  cent,  on  the  valuation.  As  the 
houses  and  lands  increased  in  value  the  rates  were  increased  ' 
in  proportion,  so  that  a  house,  worth  $30,000,  would  pay  a  tax 
equal  to  one  per  cent,  of  its  value.  By  this  means  rich  and 
poor  alike  contributed  their  share  of  the  burden  according  to 


4  THE   FRIES    REBELLION. 

their  ability  to  pay.  Upon  each  slave  there  was  assessed  a 
tax  of  50  cents.  The  fourth  section  of  the  act  provided  for 
the  appointment  of  collectors,  and  the  duties  were  to  be  dis 
charged  under  instructions  from  the  Secretary  of  the  Treas 
ury. 

Upon  the  announcement  of  the  passage  of  these  acts  of 
Congress,  and  their  publication,  discontent  began  to  manifest 
itself.  They  were  denounced  as  unconstitutional,  unjust  and 
oppressive,  and  the  government  charged  with  acting  in  a 
tyrannical  manner.  The  odium  already  resting  on  Mr. 
Adams'  Administration  was  increased,  and  new  enemies  made 
on  all  sides.  Politicians,  who  seized  upon  it  to  bring  the  Ad 
ministration  into  disrepute,  were  governed  by  selfish  purposes, 
but  we  must  credit  the  masses  with  honest  motives.  Follow 
ing  so  soon,  after  the  passage  of  the  Alien  and  Sedition  Laws, 
gave  the  House  Tax  Law  greater  unpopularity  than  it  really 
merited,  or  would  have  received  at  any  other  time.  The  feel 
ing  of  the  country  was  very  much  aroused  before  its  passage, 
and  this  added  fuel  to  the  flame. 

The  law  was  violently  denounced  in  Pennsylvania  as  soon 
as  its  provisions  were  known.  At  first  the  opposition  took  the 
form  of  noisy  declamation,  and  the  application  of  harsh  ephi- 
thets  to  the  President  and  his  Cabinet,  and  was  mainly  con 
fined  to  the  counties  of  Bucks,  Montgomery,  Northampton 
and  Berks  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  State.  From  passive  re 
sistance  the  opposition  gradually  assumed  the  shape  of  overt 
acts.  In  a  few  instances,  and  before  any  matured  plan  had 
been  agreed  upon,  the  officers  were  prevented  by  threats  from 
making  the  assessments,  and,  in  others,  were  hooted  at  and 
ridiculed.  So  odious  did  it  make  the  Administration  in  Bucks 
«/  and  Northampton,  that  these  counties  positively  refused  to 
furnish  their  quota,  under  a  law  recently  passed,  for  increasing 
the  military  force  of  tfoe  country,  and  not  a  man  was  furnished 
by  them.  The  opposition  had  assumed  such  alarming  char 
acter  by  the  Winter  and  Spring  of  1799  the  President  deemed 
it  his  duty  to  send  a  large  body  of  troops  into  these  counties 
to  quell  the  disturbance  and  enforce  the  law.  In  order  to  give 
our  readers  an  intelligent  and  accurate  account  of  this  out- 


THE   FRIES   REBELLION.  5 

\break,  it  will  be  necessary  to  take  up  the  thread  of  events  from 
the  passage  of  the  acts  of  Congress  that  led  to  it. 

Immediately  on  the  passage  of  the  law,  the  Secretary  of  the 
Treasury  took  the  proper  steps  to  carry  it  out.  The  act  of 
July  9  divided  Pennsylvania  into  nine  districts,  the  third  be 
ing  composed  of  the  counties  of  Bucks  and  Montgomery,  and 
the  fifth  of  Northampton,  Luzerne  and  Wayne,  with  the  fol- 
:  lowing  named  commissioners: 

1st  District,  Israel  Wheeler,       5th  District,  Jacob  Eyerley,6 
2d  "        Paul  Zantzenger,    6th  "       Michael  Schmyser, 

3d  "        Seth  Chapman,5      7th  "      Thomas  Grant,  Jr., 

4th         "        Collinson   Reed,     8th  "      Samuel   Davidson, 

9th  District,  Isaac  Jenkinson. 

Jacob  Eyerley,  commissioner  for  the  fifth  district,  and  a  resi 
dent  of  Northampton,  was  commissioned  sometime  in  the 
month  of  August  and  took  the  oath  of  office.  Almost  as  soon 
as  qualified,  he  was  requested,  by  the  Secretary  of  the  Treas 
ury,  to  find  suitable  persons  to  serve  as  assessors  in  his  di 
vision.  He  had  no  trouble  as  far  as  the  counties  of  Luzerne 
and  Wayne  were  concerned,  but,  in  Northampton,  only  two 
persons  were  named  in  connection  with  the  appointment. 
There  appeared  to  be  a  general  indisposition  among  the  peo 
ple  to  accept  office  under  the  law. 

The  fourth  section  of  the  act  of  July  9  required  the  com 
missioners,  as  soon  as  possible  after  their  appointment,  to 
meet  and  make  provision  for  carrying  out  the  act.  The 
board  assembled  at  Reading,7  Berks  county,  October  22, 
nearly  all  the  members  present.  Each  commissioner  pre 
sented  a  plan  of  his  division  and  divided  it  into  a  suitable 
number  of  assessment  districts.  They  also  furnished  a  list  of 
persons  qualified  for  assessors,  which  was  forwarded  to  the 
Secretary  of  the  Treasury  who  was  authorized  to  reduce  the 

5  Seth  Chapman,  commissioner  for  the  Third    District,  and  citizen  of   Bucks  county, 
received  his  commission  and  instruction  early  in  the  autumn  and   immediately  qualified. 
He  was  a  relative  of  James  Chapman  and  possibly  a  brother. 

6  Jacob  Eyerley  was  a  Moravian  and  a  man  of  some  influence. 

7  Reading,  the  county  seat  of  Berks,  was  laid  out  in  the  Autumn  of  1748,  on  a  tract  of 
450  acres  for  which  warrants  had  been  taken  out  by  John  and   Samuel  Finney,  1733.     It 
is  now  a  prosperous  and  wealthy  city  of  some  70,000  inhabitants. 


6  THE    FRIES   REBELLION. 

number.  A  form  of  warrant  was  agreed  upon  and  signed  by 
the  commissioners.  The  assessors  were  ordered  to  meet  at 
an  early  day,  when  the  commissioners  would  qualify  and 
give  them  the  necessary  instructions. 

Bucks  county  was  divided  into  two  collection  districts,  one 
composed  of  the  twelve  upper  townships,  for  which  were  ap 
pointed  one  principal  and  five  assistants  ;  James  Chapman, * 
Richland,  being  the  principal,  and  John  Rodrock,*  Plumstead  ; 
Everhard  Foulke,1*  Richland,  Cephas  Childs,11  Samuel  Clark, 
Milford,  and  one  other  assistant.  Childs  took  the  oath  of  of 
fice  November  5,  and  no  doubt  the  others  were  qualified  about 
the  same  time.  The  assessors  met  at  Rodrock's  the  latter 
part  of  December,  after  being  qualified.  Here  the  last  pre 
liminaries  were  arranged  prior  to  making  the  attempt  to  carry 
the  law  into  effect.  Each  assessor  was  given  charge  of  two 
townships,  and  allowed  a  choice  of  the  ones  he  would  assess. 

6  James  Chapman  was  born  in  Springfield  township,  and  at  this  time  was  living  in 
Richland,  although  I  do  not  know  when  he  moved  into  it.  He  lived  on  a  farm  some 
years  ago  the  property  of  P.  Mayer,  on  the  road  to  Milford  Square,  one  mile  west  of 
Quakertown.  He  belonged  to  Richland  meeting,  1781,  when  he  and  ten  other  leading 
members  were  disowned  for  subscribing  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  the  Colonies.  The 
Chapman  family  is  one  of  the  oldest  in  the  county,  the  first  ancestor  in  America 
immigrating  from  England  and  settling  in  Wrightstovvn  township,  1684.  The  Hon. 
Henry  Chapman,  lately  deceased,  Doylestown,  was  a  lienal  descendant  of  the  first 
settler.  Seth  Chapman,  one  of  the  assessors,  was  a  member  of  the  same  family.  For  a 
further  account  of  James  Chapman  see  chapter  Qth. 

9  John  Rodrock  was  a  resident  of    Plumstead  township  when    appointed,  but  I  do  not 
know  that  he  was  born  there.     He  kept  the  tavern  at  what  is  now  Plumsteadville,  on  the 
Easton  pike,  then  known   as  "  Rodrock's   tavern,"  and   this  is1  where   the  assessors   held 
their  first  meeting.     He  kept  it  down  to  about   seventy-five  years  ago,  and    was  the    only 
house  there.  In  1762  it  was  called  "  James  Hart's  tavern.''  Rodrock  owned  about  300 acres 
of  land  in  the  vicinity,  at  his  death,  more  than  a  half  century  ago.     The  village  now  con 
tains  25  dwellings,  with  tavern,  store,  a  brick  church  and  extensive  carriage  works. 

10  Everard  Foulke  was  a  member  of  the  Foulke   family,  Richland,  in   the  neighbor 
hood  of   Quakertown,  and    was  probably  appointed    from    that  township.     They    were 
Friends.     His  first  ancestor  in  this   country  was  Edward  Foulke,  who  came  from   North 
Wales,  1698,  and  settled  in  Gwynedd  township,  Montgomery  county,  and  from  there  re 
moved  to  Richland.     The  late  Benjamin  Foulke,  Quakertown,  was  a  descendant  of   the 
same  common  ancestor  as  Everard. 

11  Cephas  Childs,  or  Child,  the  correct   spelling,  was  of   a  Plumstead  family,  hut  I   do 
not  know  that  he  lived  there  when  appointed.     A  Cephas  Child,  or  Childs,  was  there  as 
«arly  as  about  1716,  and  was  a  Friend.     He  was   a  member   of   the   Assembly,    1747-48. 
Among  the  descendants  of  the  first  settler,  was  the  late  Colonel  Cephas  G.  Child,  Phila 
delphia.     A  Cephas  Child  died  in  Plumstead  in  1815,  at  the  age  of  90,  probably  his  son, 
or  grandson. 


THE   FRIES    REBELLION.  7 

When  it  became  known  the  assessments  were  actually  to  be 
made,  and  the  tax  collected  under  the  "  odious"  law,  the 
hostility  of  the  people,  which  had  somewhat  abated  since  its 
passage,  broke  out  anew  in  some  localities.  The  excitement 
soon  reached  fever  heat.  The  tax  became  the  general  subject 
of  conversation  throughout  the  country,  and  was  discussed  in 
the  taverns,  stores,  at  all  public  gatherings,  and  at  every  point 
where  two  or  more  persons  came  together.  As  is  always  the 
case  in  times  of  high  excitement,  the  authors  of  the  law  were 
denounced  in  unmeasured  terms,  and  both  its  object  and  pro 
visions  misrepresented.  The  most  extravigant  stories  were 
put  in  circulation  as  to  the  intention  of  the  government,  and 
such  a  state  of  fear  had  seized  upon  the  minds  of  the  middle 
and  lower  classes,  people  were  really  alarmed  for  their  personal 
safety.  Many  considered  Mr."  Adams  a  despot,  and  the  act 
was  viewed  as  the  most  oppressive  that  had  ever  disgraced  a 
statute  book.  In  this  condition  of  things  it  is  not  in  the  least 
strange  that  a  determination  to  resist  the  law  should  manifest 
itself.  The  opposition  appears  to  have  been  more  general  in 
Milford12  township,  in  Bucks,  and  in  some  of  the  border  town 
ships  of  Northampton  county,  where  the  inhabitants  early 
made  open  demonstration  to  resist  the  assessors.  In  Milford 
the  officers  were  wholly  unable  to  comply  with  the  law,  and 
there  the  houses  remained  unassessed  for  some  time  after  the 
assessment  had  been  made  in  other  parts  of  the  district.  The 
most  active  man  in  stirring  up  opposition  to  the  Federal  au- 
shorities,  and  who,  in  fact,  was  the  head  and  front  of  all  the 
disturbance,  was  John  Fries,  Milford,  who  had  the  counten 
ance  and  support  of  many  of  his  neighbors  and  friends,  of 
whom  John  Getman  and  Frederick  Hean},  after  himself,  were 
the  boldest  and  most  active  participants  in  the  rebellion. 

It  would  be  an  easy  matter,  were  we  disposed  to  indulge  in 
romance  and  present  fictitious  characters  to  the  reader,  to 
convert  the  leaders  in  this  disturbance  into  heroes  and  clothe 
them  with  imaginary  qualities  $but,  as  we  profess  to  deal 


12  Milford  township,  in  the  northwest  coroner  of  Bucks  county,  was  settled  hy  Ger 
mans  as  early  as  1725,  and  organized,  1734.  It  is  one  of  the  largest  and  most  populous 
townships  in  the  county,  and  is  a  fine  agricultural  region. 


$  THE   FRIES   REBELLION. 

only  with  facts,  and  intend  to  write  a  correct  account  of  the 
outbreak,  1798-99,  such  license  is  forbidden.  Fries,  Heany 
and  Getman  were  plain,  honest  Germans  only,  and  it  is  extend 
ing  ordinary  chanty  to  suppose  them  to  have  been  governed 
by  sincere  motives  in  the  course  they  took. 

John  Fries,  the  leading  spirit  of  the  insurrection  and  came 
of  parentage  in  the  lower  walks  of  life,  was  born  in  Hat- 
field13  township,  Montgomery  county,  about  1750.  At  20  he 
was  married  to  Margaret  Brunner,  daughter  of  David  Brun- 
ner,  White  Marsh,14  near  Mather's  Mill.15  John  was  brought 
up  to  work,  and,  when  old  enough,  was  apprenticed  to  the 
coopering  trade,  which  he  learned.  At  twenty-five  himself 
and  wife,  and  their  two  children,  removed  to  Bucks  county  set 
tling  in  Milford  township.  We  are  not  imformed  as  to  the 
exact  locality,  but  were  told  by  his  son  Daniel  that  Joseph 
Galloway16  gave  him  permission  to  build  a  house  on  his  land  at 
Boggy  Creek,  and  occupy  it  as  long  as  he  wished,  which  offer 
he  accepted.  We  have  no  means  of  knowing  what  length  of 
time  Fries  lived  there,  nor  when  he  changed  his  residence, 
but,  at  the  time  of  the  outbreak,  we  find  him  living  in  a  small 

13  Hatfield    township,    Montgomery  county,  is   bounded    on   the    northeast  by    Bucks 
county.     It  was  laid  out  about  1741  and  probably  derived  its   name  from  the  parish  and 
town  of  Hatfield,  Hertfordshire,  England.     The  population  is   over   2000.     In    1785  it 
contained  one  tavern,  two  grist  mills,  one  saw   mill  and  one  tannery.     It   is   33,4    miles 
long  by  3  miles  wide,  with  an  area  of  7100  acres. 

14  Whitemarsh  township,  Montgomery,  lies   in  the  Schuylkill  Valley.     It  has  an  area 
of  8697  acres,  and  is  one  of   the  most  populous  townships  in  the  county.     In  the   quality 
of  its  limestone,  marble  and  iron  ores   it  is  not   surpassed  in  the    State.     "  Whitemarsh 
lime,"  for  whitewashing,  finds    its  way  all  over  the  country.     It  was  settled    as  early  as 
1685.     It  is   rich    in  Revolutionary    incidents,    and,    within    its    limits,  some    important 
movements  were  made  by  the  two  opposing  armies  in  Fall  of  1777  and  Winter  of  1777-78. 
It  is  cut  by  the  North  Pennsylvania  railroad  and  is  twelve  miles  from  Philadelphia. 

15  Mather's  mill  is   in  Whitemarsh   township,  ^Montgomery   county,  near  the    intersec 
tion  of  the  Bethlehem  and  Skippack  turnpike,  a  mile  below  Fort    Washington.      It    was 
built  by  Edward  Farmer,  1705  ;  rebuilt,  1814,  by  Mather,  and  is  now  or  was  lately  owned 
by  the  Otterson  estate.     The  mill  is  on  the  Wissahickon  creek.     Edward    Farmer  carne 
to  America  with  his  father,  1685,  and  settled  in  Whitemarsh.     He  became  prominent  in 
affairs,  and  died  November  3,  1745,  in  his  73d  year. 

19  The  Galloways  came  from  Maryland-to  Philadelphia,  where  Joseph  was  born  about 
1730  and  marrying  Grace  Growden,  removed  to  Bucks  county.  He  owned  a  large  landed 
estate  in  Bucks  that  came  through  his  wife.  He  abandoned  the  Whig  cause  during  the 
Revolution,  and  went  to  England,  where  he  died,  1803.  He  was  active  in  the  early  part 
of  the  struggle  ;  was  a  member  of  the  first  American  Congress,  1774,  and,  at  that  time, 
no  man  stood  higher  in  the  Province.  He  was  a  lawyer,  and  a  man  of  great  ability. 


THE   FRIES   REBELLION.  9 

log  house  near  the  Sumneytovvn  road,  two  miles  from  Charles- 
town, 1T  on  a  lot  that  belonged  to  William  Edwards,  father  of 
Caleb  Edwards,18  deceased,  Quakertown.19  He  probably  did 
not  follow  the  coopering  business  long,  if  at  all,  after  his 
removal  into  Bucks  county,  for  the  earliest  information  we 
have  of  him  shows  he  was  then  persuing  the  calling  of  a  ven- 
due  cryer,  which  he  followed  to  the  day  of  his  death,  and 
for  which  he  seems  to  have  been  especially  adapted.  This 
occupation  led  him  to  travel  all  over  his  own,  and  neighbor 
ing  townships,  affording  him  an  opportunity  of  becoming  well 
acquainted  with  the  country  and  the  people.  He  had  ten 
children  :  Solemn,  John,  Daniel,  a  second  John,  and  a  fifth 
which  died  in  infancy  before  it  had  been  named  ;  Mary, 
Elizabeth,  Sarah,  Catharine  and  Margaret.  Of  these  ten  chil 
dren  Solomon  and  Daniel  were  the  last  to  die,  both  aged 
men,  who  had  already  reached  more  than  man's  allotted  years. 
Daniel,  the  younger  of  the  two,  was  born  at  "  Boggy  Creek," 
May,  1782. 

When  the  contest  between  Great  Britain  and  her  American 
Colonies  came  on,  1/76,  John  Fries  espoused  the  cause  of  his 
country,  and  became  an  active  patriot.  He  was  already  en 
rolled  in  the  militia  and  had  command  of  a  company.  We 

17  Charlestown,  now  called  Trumbauersville,  a  place  of  some  sixty  families,  is  built  for 
half  a  mile  along  the  road  leading  from   Philadelphia  to  Allentovvn.     At    the  time  of  the 
Fries    Rebellion  it   could    not    have   had  more    than  one    or  two    dwellings,  besides    the 
tavern,   now  known  as   the   Eagle.     It    is  the  seat    of   cigar  factories,  and,  at    one  time, 
turned  out  2,ODD,co3  a  year.     The  first   church  building   was  erected    1769;  rebuilt,  1805, 
and  again  1868.     It  is  now  a  Union  church. 

18  Caleb  Edwards  was  probably  a   descendant  of  John   Edwards,  who  came    with  his 
wife  from   Abington,  Montgomery   county,  to  the  neighborhood  of   Quakertown   about 
1730  with  the  Morrisses,  Heackocks,  Jamisons,  Joneses  and  others.     He  must  have  been 
appointed  from  Richland  or  a  neighboring  township. 

19  Quakertown,  Richland  township,  is   al   the  intersection   of  the  Milford  Square    and 
Newtown,  Hellertown  and  Philadelphia  roads,  all  opened  at  an  early  day.     Here  a  little 
hamlet  began  to  form  over  a  century  and  half   ago,  and  as  the  settlers    were  principally 
members  of  the  Society   of   Friends,  the  name  "  Quakertown"   was  given    it.     A  tavern 
was  opened  as  early  as  1770  ;  a  post  office,  1803  ;  a  public  library  founded    1795  ;  and  it 
was  incorporated  into  a  borough  in  1854.     The  population  was  863   in  1870,  and   2169  in 
1890.     In  1874  the  borough  limits  were   extended  to   include  Richland    Centre,  a   village 
that  had  grown   up  about  the  station  on  the   North  Penn.  Railroad,  a  mile  to   the  east. 
The  population  of  the  borough  is  about  3000.     Quakertown    is  the  centre  of   a  rich  and 
populous  country. 


10  THE    FRIES    REBELLION'. 

are  not  able  to  say  at  what  period  he  was  first  'called  irrto[ 
service,  but  we  know  he  was  on  active  duty  1777,  for,  in  the 
Fall  of  that  year,  his  company  being  of  the  militiarwas  called  out; 
from  Bucks  county  to  re-enforce  the  Continental  Army,  and 
was  with  Washington  at  White  Marsh  and  Camp  Hill.20  In; 
the  Spring  of  the  following  year  he  commanded  a  company! 
in  the  action  at  Crooked  Billet,21  under  General  John  Lacey,22. 
and  shared  the  dangers  and  .defeat  of  the  day.  Nearly  twenty 
years  later,  we  find  him  in  command  of  a  company  of  militiar> 
from  this  county,  in  the  Whiskey  Insurrection.  In  these 
military  positions  it  is  to  be  presumed  he  served  his  country, 
faithfully. 


20  "  Camp  Hill"  is  an  elevation  in  Whitemarsh    township,  Montgomery    county,  Pa., 
and  so  named  because   a  portion  of   the  Continental  Army  occupied    it  during   the  Fall, 

1777,  in  the    operations  following  the  occupation  of  Philadelphia  by:  the  British.      It  lies- 
on  the  left  of   the  North    Pennsylvania   Railroad   below    Fort  Washington    Station,  the 
next  station  bslow    it  being   known  as  "  Camp    Hill,"  on  the   west  side  of   the    railroad. 
The  contiguous   country  was  the  scene  of   military  oparations  of   that  period  by    Wash 
ington's  army. 

21  The  "  Crooked  Billet,''  the  present   Hatboro,  a  village  of   a  thousand  inhabitants,  is 
in  Moreland    township,  Montgomery   county,  Pa.,  half   a   mile    from    the  Bucks   county 
line,  on  the  North-East  Pennsylvania  Railroad.     It  has  a  bank,  a  weekly  newspaper,  an 
academy,  three  churches,  and  a   valuable    library,  founded,  1755.     It  is   thought  to   have 
been  first  settled  by  John    Dawson,  who,  with   his  wife  and  daughter,  and  probably  two 
sons,  ca-ne  from    London    to    Pennsylvania,  1710.     He  was   a  hatter   and  a  member   of 
Friends'    Meeting.     The    place    was  called    "Crooked    Billett"  from  a  crooked  stick    of 
wood  painted  on  the  sign  that  hung  at  the  tavern  door  in  ye  olden  time. 

a2  John  Lacey,  captain  in  the  Continental  Army  and  subsequently  a  Brigadier 
General  of  militia  in  the  Revolution,  was  born  in  Buckingham  township,  Bucks 
County,  Pa.,  1755.  The  family  were  members  of  the  Society  of  Friends,  and 
immigrated  from  the  Isle  of  Wight,  England,  and  settled  in  Wrightstown 
among  the  first  settlers.  He  was  commissioned  captain  in  the  4th  Pennsylvania  regi 
ment,  commanded  by  Col.  Anthony  Wayne,  January  5,  1776;  serving  in  the  campaign 
in  Canada  of  that  year,  returning  home  on  the  recruiting  service  in  December.  He 
shortly  afterward  resigned  his  commission,  because  of  some  unjust  treatment  by  Colonel 
Wayne,  but  continued  his  activity  in  the  cause  of  the  Colonies.  He  was  commissioned 
a  Sub-Lieutenant  of  Bucks  county,  March  22,  1777;  a  Brigadiere  General  of  the  State, 
January  9,  1778,  before  he  was  23,  taking  the  field  shortly  afterward.  During  that 
Winter  and  Spring  he  had  command  of  the  country  between  the  Delaware  and  Schuyl- 
kill,  and  rendered  efficient  service.  The  action  at  the  Crooked  Billet  took  place  May  i, 

1778.  In  1779  General    Lacey  was   chosen  a   member  of   the  Executive  Council  of    the 
State  and,  as   such,  served    for  two   years.     The    iSth  .of  January,   1781,  he   married  a 
daughter  of  Colonel  Thomas  Reynolds,  New    Mills,  now  Pemberton,  N.  J.,  whither   he 
removed  the  Fall  of  that  year,  or  beginning  of  1782.     He  entered  into  the  iron  business, 
and  died  there  February  17,  1814.     The  late  Dr.  William  Darlington,  West  Chester,  Pa., 
married  a  daughter  of  General  Lacey. 


THE    FRIES    REBELLION.  II 

-At  the  period  of  which  we  write,  Fries  was  about  fifty 
years  of  age.  In  person  rather  small  in  stature  and  spare,  but 
active,  hardy  an,d  well  made.  He  was  without  education,  ex- 
.cept  being  able  to  read  and  write,  with  a  knowledge  of  the 
rudiments  of  arithmetic.  Nature  had  endowed  him  with  good 
natural  abilities,  and  he  possessed  a  shrewd  and  intelligent 
mind.  He  was  an  easy  and  fluent  talker,  and  somewhat 
noted  for  his  humour  and  cunning;  was  possessed  of  good 
hard  sense,  and,  had  his  mind  been  properly  cultivated, 
would  doubtless  have  been  a  man  of  mark.  Personally  he 
was  brave  and  resolute,  and  unknown  to  fear.  He  is  said  to 
have  possessed  a  species  of  rude  eloquence  which  was  very  en 
gaging,  and  gave  him  great  control  over  the  multitude.  He 
was  a  sworn  enemy  to  all  kinds  of  oppression,  fancied  or  real,  and 
was  esteemed  a  quiet  and  inoffensive  man  until  this  outbreak 
aroused  the  latent  fires  within  him,  made  him  notorious  and 
his  name  a  terror  to  the  Administration  of  Mr.  Adams.  He 
had  brown  hair,  quick  and  steady  black  eyes,  of  which  an  old 
neighbor,  and  one  who  formerly  knew  him  well,  told  us  "were 
as  keen  as  the  eyes  of  a  rabbit."  He  had  a  pleasant  disposi 
tion,  was  well  liked  by  all,  and,  with  many,  quite  a  favorite. 
His  character  for  honesty  was  above  suspicion,  and  he  was 
considered  a  sober  man,  though  occassionally  indulged  in 
strong  drink.  These  personal  and  other  qualities  gave  him, 
to  a  considerable  degree,  the  confidence  of  the  community,  in 
which  he  lived,  and  enabled  him  to  exercise  a  controlling  in 
fluence  over  his  neighbors  and  friends. 

In  following  his  occupation  of  vendue  cryer  he  generally 
traversed  the  county  on  horseback,  and,  in  all  his  wanderings, 
was  accompanied  by  a  small  black  dog  named  "  Whiskey,"  to 
which  he  \vas  greatly  attached.  When  he  entered  a  house  it 
was  his  habit  to  call  for  "  Whiskey,"  when  the  faithful  little 
animal  would  come  and  take  a  seat  by  his  side  and  remain 
until  his  master  got  up  to  go  away.  Master  and  dog  were  in 
separable  companions,  and  aged  persons  who  knew  Fries 
stated  to  us  that  his  approach  was  often  heralded  some  time 
before  he  came  in  sight  by  the  appearance  of  "  Whiskey"  trot 
ting  along  in  advance.  The  favorite  little  dog,  as  will  be  seen,  be- 


12  THE    FRIES   REBELLION. 

fore  we  conclude,  was  the  means  of  the  betrayal  of  his  master 
into  the  hands  of  his  enemies. 

Next  to  John  Fries,  Frederick  Heaney  and  John  Getman 
were  the  most  active  instigators  of  the  disturbance.  They 
were  both  residents  of  Milford  township  at  the  time,  the  form 
er  living  two  miles  from  Charlestown,  the  latter  within  half  a 
mile  of  Fries'  house  ;  they  were  tailors  by  trade,  and  in  an 
humble  condition  in  life.  Of  their  history  we  have  been  able 
to  learn  but  little.  Heaney  was  born  at  what  is  now  "  Stover's 
Mill,"21  Rockhill  township,  but  we  do  not  know  at  what 
period  he  changed  his  residence  to  Milford.  At  one  time  he 
kept  the  tavern  at  Hagersville,*4  of  which  Christian  Hager  was 
landlord  forty  years  ago,  but  we  have  not  been  able  to  learn 
the  date  of  his  residence  at  this  place.  After  his  pardon  by 
Mr.  Adams,  Heaney  returned  to  his  home,  Milford  town 
ship,  whence  he  removed  to  Plainfield,"  Northampton  county, 
where  he  died.38  He  gained  there  not  only  a  respectable,  but 
a  somewhat  influential  standing  in  the  community.  He  was 
appointed  justice  of  the  peace,  and  also  commanded  a  volun 
teer  company,  which  his  grandson,  George  Heaney,  command 
ed,  1860.  After  his  death,  which  did  not  take  place  until  he 

23  Stover's  Mill  is  in  Rockhill  township,  Bucks  county,  a  few  miles  from  Sellersville,  on 
the  North  Pennsylvania   Railroad,  and  was   owned  by  a   member  of   the  family  of   that 
name  a  few  years  ago. 

24  Hagersville  is   situated  on   the  Old    Bethlehem    Road,  in   the   north-west  corner  of 
Rockhill  township.     It  has  a  store,  tavern,  the  usual  village   mechanics,  and   some  dozen 
dwellings.     At  this  point  the  road  is  the  dividing  line  between   Bedminster  and  Rockhill 
townships.     The  village  took  its  name  from   Colonel  George  Hager,  a  prominent  man 
and  politician  over  half  a  century  ago.     He  was  a  candidate  for  sheriff  1836. 

25  Plainfield   township,  Northampton  county,  was  settled  as   early  as  1730  and   organ 
ized  shortly  after   1752,  but   the  records  of   its   organization  are  lost.     It  was  a   frontier 
township  of  Bucks  county  at  the  time  of  its  organization. 

26  We  were  told  by  a  descendant  of  Frederick  Heaney  that  he  was  of  German  descent, 
as  his  name  implies,  his  father,  Johannes  Horning,  having  immigrated   from  the  Palati 
nate  about  1742,  and  settled  at  what  was  afterward  known  as  "  Heaney's  Mil!,"  Rockhill 
township,  Bucks  county.     Frederick  was  born  there  August  18,  1769.     At   the  beginning 
of  the  present  century  he  removed   to  Northampton  county,  where  he  died,  1818.     Gov 
ernor  Simon  Snyder  commissioned  him  justice  of   the  peace,  for  a  district  of  Northamp 
ton,  composed  of  the  townships  of  Upper  and  Lower  Mount  Bethel  and   Plainfield.  July 
27,  1809,  which  offica  he  held  until  his  death.     He  was  buried  at  Plainfield  Church,  near 
the   Wind    Gap.     A   number   of    his   descendants    live  in    Monroe    and    Northampton 
counties. 


FACSIMILE  OF  A  THREATENING  NOTICE  ISSUED  DURING  THE  FREAS'  REBELLION. 


ORIGINAL  IN    THE   COLLECTION   OF   JOHN   W.    JORDAN,    PHILADELPHIA. 


THE   FRIES    REBELLION.  13 

had  reached  a  green  old  age,  his  widow  was  twice  married,  and 
died  in  Plainfield,  1855,  at  tne  a£e  °f  eighty-nine  years.  He 
had  three  sons,  Charles,  Samuel  and  Enoch,  and  one  daughter, 
Elizabeth.  It  is  related  by  his  descendants  that  while  the 
troops  were  in  pursuit  of  him,  a  party  of  soldiers  came  to  his 
house  one  night,  when  his  wife  was  alone,  except  her  little 
daughter,  Elizabeth.  They  heard  of  threats  against  his  life, 
and,  hearing  them  coming,  she  jumped  out  of  bed  and  put  a 
spike  over  the  door  to  prevent  them  getting  in,  and,  leaving 
her  child  in  the  house,  ran  out  the  back  door  and  across  the 
fields  to  alarm  a  neighbor.  When  she  returned  with  help  the 
soldiers  were  gone.  This  child  was  Mrs.  Edmonds,  living, 
1860,  in  Bushkill  township,  Northampton  county,  whose  son, 
Jacob  B.  Edmonds,  resided  at  Quakertown. 

Getman  is  supposed  to  have  been  born  in  Rockhill  town- 
ship,  also,  but  we  have  not  been  able  to  learn  anything  of  his 
history.  His  brother  George  died  near  Sellersville,  Bucks 
county,  March  4,  1855,  at  the  advanced  age  of  92  years,  2 
months  and  10  days,  respected  by  all  his  friends  and  neigh 
bors.  He,  likewise,  was  arrested  during  the  trouble  ;  was 
tried  and  convicted  but  received  a  much  lighter  sentence  than 
his  brother  John,  being  fined  one  hundred  dollars  and  sent 
enced  to  undeigo  an  imprisonment  of  6  months.  Heaney 
was  the  owner  of  a  small  house  and  lot.  These  two  men 
were  the  advisors  and  confederates  of  John  Fries,  Getman  be 
ing  the  most  in  his  confidence.  They  lacked  the  intelligence 
and  shrewdness  of  their  leader,  but  were  active  in  the  cause 
and  rendered  him  important  service.  Such  were  the  three 
men  who  were  the  head  and  front  of  the  "  Fries  Rebellion." 
Thus  we  have  related  the  cause  of  the  rebellion,  with  some  ac 
count  of  the  principal  actors  in  it,  and,  in  the  next  chapter, 
we  shall  give  our  readers  a  brief  history  of  the  overt  acts  of 
the  insurgents. 


Rebellion. 


CHAPTER  II. 

The    Insurgents    Prepare    to    Resist    the 

John  Fries  was  probably  the  first  to  array  himself  against 
the  law,  immediately  upon  its  passage  and  promulgation.  His 
own  intense  hostility  begat  the  desire  that  his  neighbors  and 
friends  should  agree  with  him  in  feeling,  and  he  labored  with 
great  zeal  to  this  end.  When  going  about  the  county  crying 
vendues,  he  was  careful  to  sound  the  people  as  to  how  they 
stood  upon  the  subject  of  the  new  tax,  and  was  never  back 
ward  in  expressing  his  own  opinion.  From  a  warm  supporter 
of  Mr.  Adams  and  his  Administration,  he  suddenly  became 
their  most  bitter  enemy,  giving  vent  to  his  feelings  in  terms 
of  unmeasured  denunciation.  He  reasoned  with,  persuaded, 
and  threatened  all  and  seemed  to  make  it  his  business  to 
create  enemies  to  the  act.  He  was  thus  active  during  the  Fall 
months  of  1/98,  ancl,  by  the  end  of  the  year,  had  raised  a 
fierce  opposition  to  the  law  and  those  who  were  to  carry  it 
into  execution.  He  was  particularly  hostile  to  the  house-tax, 
and  declared  openly  that  no  assessments  should  be  made  in 
Milford  township,  nor  tax  collected  if  he  could  prevent  it. 
We  were  informed  by  his  son  Daniel,  then  about  eighteen, 
and  had  a  distinct  recollection  of  the  events  transpiring,  that 
several  private  meetings  were  held  at  his  father's  house  before 
any  public  demonstration  was  made.  His  friends  and  neigh 
bors  met  there  to  talk  about  the  law,  and  determine,  in  a  quiet 
manner,  what  was  best  to  be  done.  At  these  conferences 
Fries  always  took  the  lead,  and  his  stronger  mind  assisted  to 
mould  the  opinion  of  others. 


THE:FHIE$   REBELLION.  I  5 

The  time  had  now  arrived  when  some  more  active  measures 
must-  be  taken,  and  opinion  changed  to  deeds.  The  period 
approached  when  the  assessors  were  to  commence  their  duties, 
and  some  public  demonstration  was  necessary  to  prevent  them 
carrying  the  law  into  effect.  With  this  object  in  view,  about 
the  first  of  February,  1799,  notices,  without  any  names  signed 
to  them,  were  put  up  at  various  places  in  the  township,  calling 
a  public  meeting  for  Friday,  the  eighth,  at  the  public  house  of 
John  Klein,  on  the  road  leading  to  Gary's  tavern,  two  miles 
southwest  from  Charlestown.  On  the  day  appointed,  a  num 
ber  of  persons  assembled  at  the  place  of  meeting  late  in  the 
afternoon.  The  two  most  active  and  noisy  men  present  were 
John  Fries  and  George  Mitchel,1  who  then  kept  the  public 
house  more  recently  occupied  by  Eli  L.  Zeigler,  at  the  west 
end  of  Charlestown.  This  tavern  was  one  of  the  places  where 
the  mal  contents  of  the  neighborhood  assembled  at  evenings 
to  talk  over  their  grievances.  Few,  if  any,  at  the  meeting  ap 
pear  to  have  had  a  very  definite  idea  of  what  should  be  done  ; 
they  disliked  the  house-tax  and  were  opposed  to  paying  it 
themselves,  or  permitting  others  to  do  so  ;  but,  beyond  this, 
there  was  no  plan  of  opposition,  at  this  time.  The  law  was 
discussed  and  its  authors  denounced  in  violent  terms. 

Some  expressed  a  doubt  whether  the  bill  had  yet  become  a 
law.  The  newspapers  of  the  day  mentioned  that  an  amend 
ment  had  lately  passed  Congress,  which  seemed  to  confuse  the 
understanding  of  the  people,  and  rendered  them  undecided  as 
to  whether  the  law  was  actually  in  force.  After  the  matter 
had  been  sufficiently  considered  and  the  sense  of  the  meeting 
fully  explained,  Fries,  with  the  assistance  of  the  publican, 
Mitchel,  drew  up  a  paper  that  was  approved  and  signed  by 
about  fifty  of  those  present.  What  the  exact  import  of  this 
paper  was  has  never  been  determined,  as  neither  the  original 
nor  a  copy  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  authorities.  It  is  sup 
posed,  however,  to  have  contained  merely  a  statement  of  the 
views  of  the  signers  upon  the  subject  of  the  tax,  and  their  de 
termination  to  oppose  the  execution  of  the  law.  Before  ad- 

1  We  are  not   able  to  learn  anything   further  of   George  Mitchell   than  is   mentioned 
here. 


16  THE   FRIES   REBELLION. 

journing,  however,  a  resolution  was  passed  requesting-  the  as 
sessors  not  to  come  into  the  township  to  make  the  assessment, 
until  the  people  were  better  informed  whether  the  law  was 
really  in  force  ;  and  one  Captain  Kuyder  appointed  to  serve  a 
copy  of  the  resolution  upon  them.  Having  transacted  the 
business  which  brought  them  together,  the  people  quietly  dis 
persed  and  returned  to  their  homes.  The  meeting  was  con 
ducted  in  the  most  orderly  and  peaceable  manner,  and  there 
was  no  appearance  of  disturbance  on  the  part  of  anyone. 

Our  readers  will  bear  in  mind,  that  Mr.  Chapman,  com 
missioner  for  the  counties  of  Bucks  and  Montgomery,  met  the 
assessors  of  the  former  county  at  the  public  house  of  Mr. 
Rodrock,  the  latter  end  of  December,  to  deliver  to  them  their 
instructions  how  to  proceed  in  the  assessments.  Immediately 
after  this  meeting,  these  officers  commenced  the  assessment  in 
the  respective  townships  assigned  them.  They  proceeded 
without  any  trouble,  or  appearance  of  opposition,  in  all  the 
townships  but  Milford,  and  even  there  the  people,  notwith 
standing  the  late  agitation  and  excitement  against  the  law, 
quietly  acquiesce  in  its  execution.  It  is  true  they  did  not 
like  it,  and  would  rather  have  avoided  paying  the  tax,  but 
they  had  abandoned  all  intention  of  resisting  the  law.  Childs 
and  Clark  had  both  been  appointed  for  Milford,  and,  before 
separating,  fixed  upon  a  day  when  they  would  begin  in  that 
township.  Childs  had  also  one  or  two  other  townships  as 
signed  him,  and,  it  was  arranged  between  them,  they 
should  assist  each  other,  two  days  at  a  time,  alternately.  As 
Childs  had  already  made  some  assessments  in  his  own  district, 
he  agreed  to  help  Clark  whenever  he  should  be  ready  to  begin 
the  work.  Before  the  meeting  adjourned  at  Rodrock's,  the 
principal  assessor  named  an  early  day  to  meet  again,  arid  make 
return  of  what  they  had  done.  Mr.  Childs  went  to  assist 
Clark  according  to  agreement,  but,  when  he  reached  his  house, 
finding  the  latter  was  not  able  to  go  on  with  the  assessments, 
he  returned  to  finish  up  his  own  district.  In  Milford  the  ex 
citement  was  still  running  high  ;  and  as  threats  of  serious  in 
jury  had  been  made  against  the  assessors,  who  were  forbidden 
to  enter  the  township,  they  declined  to  attempt  it. 


THE   FRIES   REBELLION.  1 7 

Fries  and  his  friends  had  inflamed  the  minds  of  the  people  < 
to  such  degree,  that  in  some  parts  of  the  township  they  were 
almost  in  a  condition  to  take  up  arms.  The  assessors  met  at 
Rodrock's,  to  make  returns,  on  February  6,  but  as  they  did 
not  complete  their  business  that  day  they  adjourned  to  meet 
on  the  i6th. 

In  the  unsettled  condition  of  things  in  Milford,  the  princi 
pal  assessor,  James  Chapman,  determined  to  take  some  steps 
to  satisfy  the  people  of  that  township  in  relation  to  the  tax. 
For  this  purpose  he  thought  it  advisable  to  have  a  public 
meeting  called  at  some  convenient  place,  where  he  would  ex- 
plain  the  law,  but  not  trusting  altogether  to  his  own  judgment 
in  the  matter,  he  went  to  George  Mitchels  on  Monday,  Feb 
ruary  11,  and  consulted  him.  The  latter  agreeing  with  the 
principal  assessor,  he  was  requested  to  lend  his  assistance  in 
getting  up  the  meeting  and  assented.  Word  was  sent  to 
Jacob  Hoover,2  who  owned  and  lived  at  a  mill  on  Swamp 
creek,  on  the  road  leading  from  Trumbauersville  to  Spinners- 
town,  about  one  mile  west  of  the  former  place,  and  the  same 
later  occupied  by  Jonas  Graber,8  to  give  notice  of  the  meeting 
to  the  people  of  his  neighborhood;  and  also  to  inform  them 
they  would  be  permitted  to  select  their  own  assessor,  and 
that  any  capable  man  whom  they  might  name  would  be  quali 
fied.  The  offer,  however,  did  not  meet  with  much  favor  in 
that  section  of  the  township,  and  the  people  declined  to  have 
anything  to  do  with  it.  There  seemed  to  be  a  general  disposi 
tion,  among  the  friends  of  Mr.  Adams  in  the  township,  to  have 
a  public  meeting  called  notwithstanding  the  failure  of  the 
first  attempt — to  endeavor  to  reconcile  matters  ;  and  Israel 
Roberts  and  Samuel  Clark  both  saw  Mitchell  upon  the  sub 
ject.  A  few  days  after,  Mr.  Chapman  again  sent  word  to 
Mitchell  to  advertise  a  meeting,  which  he  accordingly  did,  and 

2  The  Hoovers,  or  Hubers,  immigrated  from  Switzerland  between    1750  and  1760,  and 
settled  in   Milford  township.     The   father's   name  we  do   not   know,  but  his   wife's  was 
Ann,  who  was  born    1722,  died  1775,  and    was   buried   at   the   Trumbauersville  church. 
Henry,  one  of  the  sons,  made  powder  for  the    Penna.  Committee  of   Safety,  1776,  at  a 
mill  on  Swamp  creek.     Another   son,  John  Jacob,  was   probably   the    "Jacob   Hoover" 
mentioned  here. 

3  This  was  in  1859  '•>  the  present  owner  we  do  not  know. 


1 8  THE   FRIES    REBELLION. 

the  time  fixed  was  the  latter  end  of  February,  the  place,  his 
own  tavern.  The  notice  given  was  pretty  general,  and  a 
large  assemblage  was  expected. 

The  Jacob  Hoover  here  spoken  of  was  the  uncle  of  Reuben 
L.  Wyker,  who  lived  near  Rufe's  store  in  Tinicum,  and  was 
active  in  assisting  Fries.  It  is  said  he  manufactured  cartouch 
boxes  for  the  use  of  the  insurgents,  and  otherwise  made  him 
self  useful  to  them.  He  escaped  capture  by  having  timely 
warning  of  the  approach  of  the  troops.  George  Wyker,  also 
of  Tinicurn,  and  uncle  of  Reuben  L.,  was  in  Philadelphia  at 
market,  at  the  time,  and  there  learned  that  Jacob  Hoover  was 
to  be  arrested,  and  that  a  warrant  had  already  been  issued. 
Being  anxious  to  prevent  him  falling  into  the  hands  of  the 
federal  authorities,  he  hastened  home,  as  soon  as  he  had  sold 
out  his  marketing,  to  give  warning  of  the  danger.  He  told 
his  father  what  he  had  heard  in  the  city.  The  latter  was 
Nicholas  Wyker,  who  lived  on  the  same  farm  where  Alfred 
Sacket  lived  in  more  recent  years,  on  the  hillside  near  Rufe's 
store.  He  immediately  set  off  for  Hoover's,  whom  he  found 
at  home,  apparently  .very  much  unconcerned,  but  entirely 
ignorant  of  the  danger  that  threatened  him.  Even  when  told 
of  the  arrangements  made  to  arrest  him,  he  did  not  seem  to 
give  it  much  importance  ;  but,  while  they  were  in  conversa 
tion  Hoover  looked  out  the  window  and  saw  the  troops  com 
ing  up  the  road.  This  reminded  him  of  the  necessity  of  flee 
ing.  He  immediately  ran  out  the  back  door,  and,  keeping  the 
house  between  him  and  them,  made  his  way  to  a  neighboring 
thicket,  into  which  he  escaped.  When  the  soldiers  arrived  at 
the  house,  they  surrounded  it  and  entered,  but  the  bird  had 
flown,  and  Hoover  was  nowhere  to  be  found.  After  a  thor 
ough  search,  the  officer  gave  up  the  pursuit  and  returned  with 
his  soldiers,  much  chagrined.  Hoover  kept  out  of  harm's 
way  until  the  affair  had  blown  over,  when  he  returned  home. 
He  afterward  removed  to  Lewistown,  in  this  State,  where  he 
died. 

In  the  meantime  the  adjourned  meeting  to  be  holden  at 
Rodrock's  tavern,  on  February  16,  at  which  the  returns  of  the 
assessments  were  to  be  made,  came  off.  All  the  assessors, 


THE   FRIES    REBELLION.  ig 

except  Mr.  Clark,  were  there  and  reported  the  assessments 
had  been  nearly  completed  in  all  the  townships  except  Mil- 
ford,  where  nothing  had  as  yet  been  done.  The  assessor  of 
this  township  had  been  so  much  intimidated  and  threatened 
he  was  afraid  to  go  about  in  the  discharge  of  his  duties.  Mr. 
Foulke  also  expressed  some  fears  of  going  into  the  township, 
as  threats  had  likewise  been  made  against  him,  and  he  antici 
pated  trouble.  This  state  of  things  changed  his  mind  in  re 
gard  to  permitting  the  people  of  the  township  to  select  their 
own  assessor,  and  he  now  gave  his  consent,  to  it,  hoping  it 
would  conciliate  them.  He  used  his  influence  with  the  com 
missioner  to  induce  him  to  agree  to  the  same,  and  he  finally 
yielded  and  gave  his  permission.  He  notified  the  assessors, 
at  the  same  time,  that  in  case  the  people  did  not  accept  the 
terms  offered  them,  and  choose  some  person  to  discharge  the 
duty,  they  would  have  to  go  into  the  township,  and  assist 
Clark  to  make  the  assessments.  Proposals  were  made  to  the 
various  assessors  as  to  which  would  assume  the  duty,  but  each 
one  had  some  excuse  to  give  why  he  could  not  go,  showing 
great  unwillingness  to  place  themselves  in  the  way  of  danger. 
The  unsettled  condition  of  Milfofd  alarmed  them,  John  Fries 
and  his  friends  being  the  terror  of  these  officers. 

The  time  for  the  meeting  advertised  to  take  place  at 
Mitchell's  had  now  arrived,  which  was  holden  on  a  Saturday, 
and  a  great  many  persons  were  at  it.  Everhard  Foulke  and 
James  Chapman  were  present  on  the  part  of  the  assessors. 
The  meeting  was  called  for  the  purpose  of  reading  and  ex 
plaining  the  law,  as  they  were  extremely  ignorant  of  its  pro 
visions  and  operations  ;  but  they  behaved  in  such  a  disorderly 
manner  nothing  could  be  done.  A  general  fear  appears  to 
have  seized  upon  those  present.  Mr.  Foulke  used  his  best  en 
deavors  to  remove  it,  but  without  avail.  In  their  present 
state  of  mind,  as  he  well  knew,  any  explanation  of  the  law  on 
his  part  would  have  but  little,  if  any,  effect,  and  he  did  not  even 
attempt  it.  Among  the  well  disposed  citizens  present  was  Jacob 
Klein,  who,  at  the  request  of  Mitchell,  made  an  effort  to  calm 
the  fears  of  the  people,  but  he  met  with  no  success,  for  the 
clamor  and  noise  were  so  incessant  he  could  not  be  heard. 


20  THE    FRIES    REBELLION. 

Israel  Roberts  proposed  to  read  the  law  to  them,  but  they 
would  not  listen  to  him,  and  drowned  his  voice  in  their  shouts. 
Conrad  Marks,  who  afterward  became  an  active  participant  in 
the  disturbance,  was  at  the  meeting,  but  it  does  not  appear 
that  John  Fries  was  there,  which  is  hardly  reconcileable,  with 
his  known  activity  in  opposing  the  law.  The  assessors  seeing 
nothing  could  be  done  to>vard  satisfying  their  minds  on  the 
subject  of  the  tax,  and  removing  their  prejudice  and  opposi 
tion  to  the  law's  execution,  declined  to  take  further  part  in  the 
meeting  and  returned  home. 

The  officers,  upon  this  occasion,  met  with  a  signal  failure 
in  their  attempt  to  induce  the  people  to  acquiesce  in  the  as 
sessments,  and  the  result  of  the  meeting  gave  encouragement 
to  the  opposition.  In  the  subsequent  trial  of  John  Fries  be 
fore  the  United  States  Court,  Mr.  Chapman,  who  was  a  wit 
ness  on  the  part  of  the  Government,  gives  the  following  ac 
count  of  what  took  place  at  this  meeting,  so  far  as  it  fell 
under  his  own  observations.  He  says: 

"  I  got  there  between  one  and  two  o'clock.  Just  as  I  got  to 
the  house,  before  I  went  in,  I  saw  ten  or  twelve  people  com 
ing  from  towards  Hoover's  mill  ;  about  the  half  of  them  were 
armed,  and  the  others  with  sticks.  I  went  into  the  house 
and  twenty  or  thirty  were  there.  I  sat  talking  with  some  of 
my  acquaintance  that  were  well  disposed  to  the  laws.  Conrad 
Marks  talked  a  great  deal  in  German  ;  how  oppressive  it  was, 
and  much  in  opposition  to  it,  seeming  to  be  much  enraged. 
His  son,  and  those  who  came  with  him,  seemed  to  be  very 
noisy  and  rude;  they  talked  in  German,  which  as  I  did  not 
know  sufficiently,  I  paid  but  little  attention  to  them.  They 
were  making  a  great  noise  ;  huzzaing  for  liberty  and  Democ 
racy,  damning  the  Tories,  and  the  like.  I  let  them  go  on,  as 
I  saw  no  disposition  in  the  people  to  do  anything  toward  for 
warding  the  business.  Between  four  and  five  I  got  up  to  go 
out  ;  as  I  passed  through  the  crowd  towards  the  bar,  they 
pushed  one  another  against  me. 

"  No  offer  was  made  to  explain  the  law  to  them  while  I 
staid  ;  they  did  not  seem  disposed  to  hear  it. 


THE   FRIES   REBELLION.  21 

"  They  did  not  mention  my  name  the  whole  time  of  my 
being  there,  but  they  abused  Eyerlyand  Balliett  and  said  they 
had  cheated  the  public,  and  what  villains  they  were.  I  under 
stood  it  was  respecting  collecting  the  revenue,  but  I  did  not 
understand  near  all  they  said.  I  recollect  Conrad  Marks  said 
that  Congress  had  no  right  to  make  such  a  law,  and  that  he 
never  would  submit  to  have  his  house  taxed. 

"  They  seemed  to  think  that  the  collectors  were  all  such 
fellows;  the  insinuation  was  that  they  cheated  the  public,  and 
made  them  pay,  but  never  paid  into  the  Treasury.  After 
getting  through  the  crowd  to  the  bar,  I  suppose  I  was  fifteen 
minutes  in  conversation  with  Mitchell  ;  he  said  perhaps  they 
were  wrong,  but  the  people  were  very  much  exasperated. 
Nothing  very  material  happened,  and  I  asked  Mr.  Foulke  if  it 
were  not  time  to  be  going.  So  I  got  into  my  sleigh  and  went 
off;  soon  after  they  set  up  a  dreadful  huzza  and  shout." 

Israel  Roberts  and  other  witnessess,  on  the  part  of  the  prose 
cution  at  the  trial  of  Fries,  and  who  was  present  at  the  meet 
ing  at  Mitchel's,  testified  as  follows: 

"  At  the  last  meeting  at  Mitchell's  there  appeared  a  dis 
position  to  wait  till  they  should  have  assistance  from  some 
other  place.  It  was  said  that  a  letter  had  arrived  to  George 
Mitchell,  from  Virginia,  stating  there  were  a  number  of  men, 
I  think  ten  thousand,  on  their  way  to  join  them  ;  the  letter 
was  traced  from  one  to  another,  through  six  or  eight  persons, 
till  at  last  it  came  from  one  who  was  not  there.  Some  of  the 
company  at  that  time  were  armed  and  in  uniform.  I  do  not 
recollect  what  was  said  when  the  letter  was  mentioned,  but 
they  appeared  to  be  more  opposed  to  the  law  than  they  were 
before. 

"  At  the  meeting  at  George  Mitchel's,  at  which  Mr.  Foulke 
and  Mr.  Chapman  were  present,  which  was  held  for  the  pur 
pose  of  explaining  the  law,  there  were  a  number,  about  twelve 
came  up  in  uniform,  and  carrying  a  flag  with  ''Liberty"  on  it. 
They  came  into  the  house  and  appeared  to  be  very  much  op 
posed  to  the  law,  and  in  a  very  bad  humour.  I  proposed  to 
read  the  law  to  them  ;  and  they  asked  me  how  I  came  to 


22  THE    FRIES   REBELLION. 

advertise  the  meeting  ;  I  told  them  I  did  it  with  the  consent 
of  a  few  others  ;  one  of  them  asked  me  what  business  I  had  to 
do  it  ;  I  told  him  we  did  it  to  explain  the  law.  He  looked 
me  in  the  face  and  said,  'We  don't  want  any  of  your  damned- 
laws,  we  have  laws  of  our  own,'  and  he  shook  the  muzzle  of  his 
musket,  in  my  face,  saying,  'This  is  our  law  and  we  will  let 
you  know  it.'  There  were  four  or  five  who  wished  to  hear  it, 
but  others  forbid  it,  and  said  it  should  not  be  read,  and  it  was 
not  done/' 

On  his  way  home  from  the  meeting,  Mr.  Chapman  stoppe.d 
at  the  public  house  of  Jacob  Fries,  who  then  kept  the  tavern 
more  recently  occupied  by  George  L.  Pheister,  at  the  east  end 
of  Trumbauersville,  where  he  waited  for  Mr.  Foulke  to  come 
up,  who  arrived  soon  after.  Clark  was  also  there.  Mr.  Chap 
man  had  a  conversation  with  him  upon  the  subject  of  taking 
the  rates  in  the  township,  when  he  declined  to  have  anything 
more  to  do  with  it.  He  gave  as  a  reason  for  this  course  that 
it  would  not  be  safe  for  him  to  undertake  the  assessments, 
and  that  he  did  not  feel  justified  in  endangering  his  life  in 
order  to  assist  to  have  the  law  carried  into  execution.  He 
thus  washed  his  hands  of  the  whole  business,  and  resigned  his 
commission.  It  was  now  evident  to  Chapman  and  Foulke, 
that  the  other  assessors  would  be  obliged  to  make  the  as 
sessments  in  Milford,  if  they  were  made  at  all,  and  they 
deemed  it  their  duty  to  take  immediate  steps  to  have  it  done. 
They  agreed  to  meet  the  assessors  at  Quakertown,  on  March 
4,  in  order  to  commence  the  work,  and,  before  they  left  for 
home,  Mr.  Chapman  asked  each  one  to  be  present  at  the 
time  and  place  appointed.  When  the  day  arrived  for  the 
meeting,  but  three  of  the  assessors  attended,  Rodrock,  Childs 
and  Foulke,  in  addition  to  the  principal,  Mr.  Chapman.  They 
waited  until  evening  without  transacting  any  business,  ex 
pecting  others  would  arrive  but  none  came,  when  they  ad 
journed  to  meet  at  the  house  of  Mr.  Chapman,  at  nine  o'clock 
the  next  morning. 

As  soon  as  it  became  noised  about  that  the  assessors  had  re 
solved  to  come  into  the  township  to  take  the  rates,  those  op- 


THE   FRIES    REBELLION.  23 

posed  to  the  law  renewed  their  activity  against  it.  The  peo 
ple  were  told  by  the  leaders  that  the  assessments  must  not  be 
made,  and  force  would  be  used  to  prevent  it,  if  necessary.  The 
information  that  the  assessors,  who  were  now  looked  upon  as 
enemies  to  republican  institutions  were  coming,  increased  the 
excitement,  and  the  people  began  active  measures  to  oppose 
them.  Captain  Kuyder,  who  was  in  command  of  a  com 
pany  of  militia,  called  them  into  service  to  assist  in  driving 
the  assessors  out  of  the  township.  He  notified  his  men  to 
meet  him  at  his  mill,  on  March  6,  where  some  fifteen 
or  twenty  assembled.  Early  in  the  morning,  while  he  was 
abroad  in  the  neighborhood,  he  met  his  acquaintance,  William 
Thomas,  whom  he  invited  to  go  to  the  mill  and  see  his  men. 
Me  accepted  the  invitation*' and  accompanied  the  Captain 
there.  His  men  were  getting  together.  When  he  arrived  he 
found  a  number  already  assembled,  a  portion  of  them  armed 
and  others  soon  came  up.  After  remaining  a  little  while  the 
Captain  ordered  his  men  to  take  up  the  march  for  the  tavern 
of  Jacob  Fries,  Trumbauersville. 

By  the  time  they  reached  the  village  a  considerable  number 
of  stragglers  had  been  attracted,  who  helped  to  swell  the 
throng.  They  marched  along  the  main  road  until  they  came 
to  the  tavern,  when  they  drew  up  in  front  of  it  and  halted.  Here 
a  number  more  joined  them,  making  about  thirty  in  all.  The 
people  assembled  expressed  a  desire  to  see  the  assessors, 
whom  they  knew  were  somewhere  in  the  township  making  as 
sessments  ;  and  a  couple  of  horsemen  were  sent  off  to  hunt 
them  up  and  notify  them  they  were  wanted.  They  were  in 
structed,  in  case  they  should  find  them,  to  take  them  prison 
ers,  and  either  conduct  them  to  Quakertown  or  bring  them  to 
Fries'  tavern.  Soon  after  the  messengers  had  left,  it  was 
proposed  that  Captain  Kuyder's  company  and  the  rest  of  the 
people  assembled,  should  march  to  Quakertown  and  they  im 
mediately  started  down  the  road  for  that  place.  They  pre 
sented  a  somewhat  martial,  but  very  irregular,  appearance ; 
the  greater  part  being  either  armed  with  guns  or  clubs  and 
accompanied  with  drum  and  fife.  As  they  passsed  through 
the  country  they  attracted  much  attention,  and  the  sounds  of 


24  THE   FRIES    REBELLION. 

their  martial  music  were  heard  "  far  o'er  hill  and  dale."  They, 
who  were  not  cognizant  of  the  movement,  and  hardly  knew 
what  to  make  of  the  demonstration,  went  to  the  roadside  to 
see  what  was  going  on.  As  they  marched  along  the  road  they 
increased  in  number,  and,  by  the  time  they  reached  their  des 
tination,  there  were  more  than  a  hundred  in  rhe  company. 
This  movement  was  the  commencement  of  the  overt  acts  of 
resistance,  and  had  an  important  bearing  on  the  subsequent 
conduct  of  those  who  became  insurgents  in  name  and  deed. 


Rebellion. 


CHAPTER  III. 

F"ries  Oaptures  the   Assessors. 

The  three  assessors,  Chapman,  Foulke  and  Childs,  met,  on 
the  morning  of  March  5,  at  the  house  of  Mr.  Chapman  as  had 
been  agreed  upon,  and  thence  proceeded  into  Milford  town 
ship  to  make  the  assessments.  They  thought  it  advisable  to 
to  call  upon  Clark,  in  the  first  instance,  and  see  if  they  could 
not  prevail  upon  him  to  go  with  them  and  divide  the  town 
ship,  so  as  to  complete  their  work  in  a  short  time.  When 
they  arrived  at  his  house  he  was  absent  from  home,  and  it  was 
thought  best  for  Mr.  Chapman  to  go  in  search  of  him.  Learn* 
ing  he  had  gone  to  assist  one  of  his  neighbors  to  move,  he 
went  to  Jacob  Fries"  tavern  to  wait  for  him  to  return.  In  a 
little  while  he  came.  Upon  being  asked  to  assist  in  assessing 
the  township  he  positively  refused,  saying  he  might  as  well 
pay  his  fine,  even  if  it  should  take  all  the  property  he  had. 
Finding  that  nothing  could  be  done  with  him,  the  subject  was 
dropped.  While  Mr.  Chapman  was  at  the  tavern,  John  Fries 
came  up.  After  passing  the  compliments  of  the  day,  Fries 
remarked  to  him  he  understood  he  had  been  insulted  at  one 
of  the  meetings  in  the  township,  which,  he  said,  would  not 
have  been  the  case  had  he  been  present,  and  expressed  his  re 
gret  at  the  rudeness  with  which  the  assessor  had  been  treated. 
The  following  interview  then  took  place  between  the  two,  as 
sworn  to  on  the  trial  of  Fries  : 

"  I  told  him  (Fries)  I  thought  they  were  very  wrong  in  op 
posing  the  law  as  they  did  ;  he  signified  that  he  thought  they 
were  not,  and  that  the  rates  should  not  be  taken  by  the  as- 

1  Jacob  Fries'  tavern,  torn  down  many  years  ago,  was  situated  in  the  rocky  part  of 
Milford  township,  in  a  valley,  about  a  mile  below  Milford  Centre,  and  two  hundred 
yards  from  a  public  road.  The  road  passed  by  the  house  in  early  times,  but  was 
changed.  The  house  was  a  long,  story  and  a  half,  stone  and  log  building.  It  was  not  a 
tavern  for  more  than  half  a  century  before  it  was  torn  down.  The  property  was  once 
owned  by  John  Keiper. 

(25) 


26  THE   FRIES    REBELLION. 

sessors.  I  told  him  the  rates  would  certainly  be  taken,  and 
that  the  assessors  were  then  in  the  township  taking  them.  I 
repeated  it  to  him,  and  he  answered,  '  My  God!  if  I  were  only 
to  send  that  man  (pointing  to  one  standing  by,)  to  my  house 
to  let  them  know  they  were  taking  the  rates,  there  would  be 
five  or  seven  hundred  men  under  arms  here  to-morrow  morn 
ing  by  sunrise.'  He  told  me  he  would  not  submit  to  the  law. 
I  told  him  I  thought  the  people  had  more  sense  than  to  rise 
in  arms  to  oppose  the  law  in  that  manner;  if  they  did,  gov 
ernment  must  certainly  take  notice  of  it,  and  send  an  armed 
force  to  enforce  the  law.  His  answer  was,  '  if  they  do,  we 
will  soon  try  who  is  the  strongest.'  I  told  him  they  certainly 
would  find  themselves  mistaken  respecting  their  force;  he  sig 
nified  he  thought  not  ;  he  mentioned  to  me  the  troop  of 
horse  in  Montgomery  county,  and  the  people  at  Upper  and 
Lower  Milford,2  and  something  about  infantry  who  were 
ready  to  join.  He  said  he  was  very  sorry  for  the  occasion, 
for,  if  they  were  to  rise,  God  knew  where  it  would  end  ;  the 
consequences  would  be  dreadful ;  I  told  him  they  would  be 
obliged  to  comply  ;  he  then  said  huzza,  it  shall  be  as  it  is  in 
France,  or  will  be  as  it  is  in  France,  or  something  to  that  ef 
fect.  He  then  left  me  and  and  went  off." 

While  Mr.  Chapman  was  waiting  for  Clark  at  Jacob  Fries' 
tavern,  and  holding  the  strange  interview  with  John  Fries,  the 
other  assessors  were  engaged  in  taking  the  rates  around  the 
township.  The  first  house  they  came  to  was  Daniel  Weid- 
ner's,  at  the  west  end  of  Trumbauersville,  and  occupied 
by  Geo.  Zeigler,  1859.  Childs  went  in  first  and  told  Mr.  W. 
that  he  had  come  in  order  to  take  the  assessment  under  the 
revenue  law  of  the  United  States.  He  appeared  to  be  in  a 
bad  humour  at  the  proceeding,  and  declined  to  give  any  in 
formation  of  his  property.  The  assessor  reasoned  with  him, 
and  pointed  out  the  impropriety  of  his  conduct  and  what 
would  be  the  consequence  of  his  opposing  the  law.  He  was 
told  he  might  have  ten  days  to  consider  the  matter,  at  the  end 
of  which  time  he  would  be  able  to  determine  what  he  ought  to 
do.  He  professed  not  to  know  whether  the  law  was  in  force, 
and  said  many  other  things  in  extenuation  of  his  conduct ; 

2  Upper  and  Lower  Milford  townships  in  Lehigh  county,  originally  Upper  Milford,  in 
Bucks,  fell  into  Northampton  when  that  county  was  cut  off  from  Bucks,  1752,  and  into 
Lehigh  when  that  county  was  organized,  1812.  At  what  time  Upper  Milford  was  divided 
we  do  not  know. 


THE    FRIES    REBELLION.  2/ 

charged  the  assessor  with  receiving  very  high  wages,  &c.    Mr. 
Childs  explained  that  the  law  was  in  force  and  how  a  commit 
tee  of  Congress   had    reported  against  the  expediency  of    re 
pealing  it.    At  last,  VVeidner,  overcome  by  persuasion,  or  argu 
ment,  consented  to  be  assessed  and  gave  up  his  property,  say- 
:ing  to   the   assessor,  "  take   it    now,  since   it    must    be    done." 
Childs  then  continued    on  his  round,  walking    and  leading  his 
horse  from  house  to  house,  until  he   reached  Mitchel's  tavern,8 
where   he   found   the  other  two  assessors,  who   had  arrived   a 
little  while   before.     Weidner  got   there   in    advance  and   was 
again  railing  out  against  the  law;  and  said  that  the  houses  of 
high  value   were  to   pay   nothing,  while   smaller  ones,  and   of 
small  value,  were  to  pay  high.     He   was  again   reasoned  with, 
and  finally  became  apparently  reconciled,  and   gave  up  an    ad 
ditional  piece  of  property  to  be  assessed.      He  seemed  to  take 
the  matter    much    at    heart,  however,  and    exclaimed,  "  They 
will  ruin  me;  what  shall  I  do?"    The  assessors  then  continued 
on  their  way  toward    Jacob  Fries'  tavern,  where  they  were  to 
meet  the  principal  assessors  by  appointment,  assessing  several 
houses    as  they   went   along.     They  had    assessed  some   fifty 
or  sixty  houses  in  the   whole,  up   to  this  point,  and   had   done 
it  without  opposition.     In  every  case  but  one  the  people  were 
at  home,  and   there   a  notice    was   left.     They  arrived  at    the 
tavern  a  little   before  dinner.     As    Mr.   Childs  was  going  into 
the  door  he  was   met    by  John   Fries,  who  shook  him   by  the 
hand,  said  he   was  glad   to   see  him,  and    asked  him  to   take  a 
drink. 

The  assessors  dined  at  Jacob  Fries'.  After  dinner,  and 
while  they  were  sitting  at  the  fire,  John  Fries  came. into  the 
room.  He  addressed  himself  to  Mr.  Foulke  and  Mr.  Chap-- 
man,  and  said  they  were  men  he  greatly  esteemed,  and  was 
sorry  they  had  placed  themselves  in  that  position.  He  here 
proclaimed  his  opposition  to  the  law;  and  said  "  I  now  warn 
you  not  to  go  to  another  house  to  take  the  rates  ;  if  you  do 
you  will  be  hurt."  Without  waiting  for  a  reply  he  turned 
upon  his  heel  and  went  out  of  the  room.  He  seemed  irritated 
and  in  anger.  He  said  nothing  more  to  them  while  they  re 
mained  there.  After  a  conference,  the  assessors  concluded  to 

3  1  have  not  been  able  to   locate  Mitchel's  tavern,  further  than  to  say  it  was  in  Milford 
township. 


28  THE   FRIES   REBELLION. 

pay  no  attention  to  the  threat  of  John  Fries,  but  proceed  with 
the  assessments.     While    at  the   tavern,  Mr.   Childs   took  the 
rates  of  Jacob  Fries'  house  to  which  no  opposition   was  made. 
It    was    then    agreed    that    Rodrock    and    Foulke    should    go 
together,  and  Childs  by  himself  to  assess    the  houses  of    some 
who  were  known  to  be  quiet  and  orderly  people.     They  then 
mounted   their  horses   and   rode   away  in    discharge  of    their 
duty.     They  found  a  marked  difference,  between  the    English 
and   German,  to  be  assessed  ;  with  the   former  they   had    no 
difficulty,  except   at   one  place,  where  the   family   said   there 
were  some  bad  people  living  in    the  neighborhood  who  would 
do  them  injury  if   they  submitted  to  the  rates.     Messrs.    Rod- 
rock  and  Foulke   continued  on   until    about   sunset    without 
meeting  any  hindrance,  or  seeing  any  sign  of  opposition  to  the 
execution  of  the  law.     They  were  now  going  to   the  house  of 
a  man  named  Singmaster,  and,  as  they  turned  down  a  lane  out 
of  the  public  road,  they  heard  some   person  halloo   to  them  ; 
when,  stopping  and  looking  round,  they  saw  John   Fries  and 
five  men  coming  toward  them.      Fries  was  in  front,  and  upon 
coming  up  he   said  he  had  warned  them    not   to   proceed  with 
the  assessments,  but  as  they  would  not  obey  him   he  had  now 
come  to  take   them    prisoners.     Rodrock   asked   him  by  what 
authority  he  had  stopped  them,  to   which  he  made  no   reply, 
but   immediately  grappled    for  the  bridle   of    his  horse.     He 
wheeled  the  horse  around  at  the  moment,  which  caused  Fries 
to  miss  the  bridle  and  catch  the  rider  by  the  coat  tail,  but  the 
latter  succeeded  in  tearing  away  and  freeing  himself  from  his 
.grasp.     Fries  then    rode  off,  but,  before   he  had   gone   far,  he 
turned  about  and  approached  the  assessor  again.   He  now  cursed 
Rodrock,  and,  remarked  to  him,  if   he  had  a  horse  he  would 
catch  him.     He  offered  no    further  insult,  but   returned  to  his 
companions.     Mr,  Foulke  was  less  fortunate.     The  comrades 
of  Fries  surrounded  him  and  secured  him  without  resistance  ; 
but   when   in    their    power   they    offered    him   no    injury,  but 
treated  him  with  kindness.     When    Fries  returned  to  his  men 
and  found  Mr.  Foulke  in  their  hands,  heat  once  directed  them 
to  let  him  go,  giving  as  a  reason  that  as  they  were  not  able  to 
catch  Mr.   Rodrock,  they  would  not   detain  him.     As  the   as- 


THE    FRIES   REBELLION.  29 

sessor  was  released  Fries  remarked  to  him,  "  I  will  have  seven 
hundred  men  together  to-morrow,  and  I  will  come  to  your 
house,  and  let  you  know  we  are  opposed  to  the  law."  Being 
at  liberty  once  more  the  assessors  proceeded  to  the  house,  of 
Philip  Sing;naster,  who  lived  on  the  road  leading  from  Trum- 
bauersville  to  Philadelphia,  half  a  mile  from  the  former  place, 
and  in  a  house  occupied  by  Zeno  Frantz,  1859.  They 
found  him  at  home,  and,  upon  informing  him  of  their  busi 
ness,  were  permitted  to  assess  his  house  without  opposition. 
While  here  Mr.  Childs  rejoined  them  as  had  been  agreed  upon 
when  they  parted  company  at  the  tavern  of  Jacob  Fries.  They 
now  compared  opinions,  and  came  to  the  unanimous  conclu. 
sion  they  would  not  be  justified  in  further  attempt  to  take 
the  rates  in  Milford  township,  on  account  of  the  violent  op 
position  of  the  inhabitants,  led  on  by  John  Fries  ;  and  the 
principal  assessor  was  to  give  notice  of  this  determination  to 
the  commissioners.  They  thereupon  ceased  to  make  assess 
ments  in  the  township  and  turned  their  faces  homeward  on 
the  afternoon  of  March  6. 

Meanwhile  the  insurgents  continued  their  march  toward 
Quakertown,  where  they  arrived  about  noon,  or  shortly  after. 
In  a  little  while  the  party  of  Capt.  Kuyder  was  joined  by 
John  Fries  and  companions  and  several  othe:s.  They  halted 
at  the  tavern  of  Enoch  Roberts,  the  same  kept  by  Peter 
Smith,  1859,  when  those  on  horseback  dismounted,  and,  as 
many  as  could,  went  into  the  house.  The  scene  around  the 
tavern  was  one  of  noise  and  confusion,  while  those  inside  were 
no  less  boisterous.  They  were  hallooing,  and  cursing  and 
swearing  ;  the  most  violent  were  denouncing  John  Adams, 
the  house-tax,  and  the  officers  who  were  to  execute  the  law  ; 
some  were  drumming  and  fifing,  apparently  endeavoring  to 
drown  the  hum  of  confused  voices  in  the  strains  of  martial 
music,  and  numerous  other  ways  were  resorted  to,  to  give 
vent  to  their  feelings.  The  bar  of  Mr.  Roberts  was  pretty 
generously  patronized,  and  that  liquor  flowed  so  freely  the 
excitement  and  confusion  were  increased.  Fries,  expect 
ing  the  assessors  to  come  that  way  on  their  return  home,  he 


3O  THE   FRIES    REBELLION". 

had   made   up  his  mind  to  arrest  them  if  nothing1  transpired 
to  interfere  with  his  arrangements. 

When  the  assessors  ended  their  conference  at  Philip  Sing- 
master's,  after  having  assessed  him,  they  started  directly 
homeward,  having  to  pass  through  Quakertovvn  their  most 
direct  road..  Messrs.  Foulke  and  Rodrock  rode  together, 
while  Mr.  Childs  preceded  them  a  short  distance.  When  they 
arrived  at  the  village,  they  found  it  in  possession  of  the 
crowd  of  people  already  mentioned,  under  the  control  of  John 
Fries  and  Conrad  Marks.  Some  were  in  uniform  and  others 
in  their  usual  working  clothes  ;  some  were  armed  with  guns, 
and  others  carried  clubs.  The  noise  and  confusion  they  made 
were  heard  some  time  before  the  assessors  reached  the  town. 
The  testimony,  given  on  the  trial,  shows  they  were  congregated 
at  two  public  houses,  one  already  mentioned  as  being  kept  by 
Enoch  Roberts,  whereas  the  other  was  called  "  Zeller's  tav 
ern."  We  have  been  at  considerable  trouble  to  locate  this 
latter  public  house,  but  have  been  unable  to  do  so.  The 
house,  in  which  Richard  Green  lived,  1859,  on  tne  roa<^  to 
the  railroad  station,  is  said  to  stand  on  the  site  of  an  old  tav 
ern  which  may  have  been  the  one  the  witnesses  called  "  Zel 
ler's."  On  the  other  hand  it  is  said,  by  the  old  residents  of 
Quakertown,  that  Enoch  Roberts  had  a  son-in-law  named  N. 
B.  Sellers,  who  assisted  him  to  keep  the  public  house  he  then 
occupied.  The  name  of  Zeller  may  have  been  intended  for 
Sellers,  and  is  possibly  a  misprint  in  the  report  of  the  trial, 
both  meaning  one  and  the  same  place. 

When  the  insurgents  saw  the  assessors  coming  they  set  up 
a  great  shout,  and,  as  soon  as  they  had  approached  within 
hailing  distance,  ordered  them  to  stop.  This  they  did  not 
heed,  as  they  had  determined  not  to  place  themselves  in  their 
power  if  it  could  be  avoided.  As  they  entered  the  village 
Messrs.  Foulke  and  Rodrock  separated,  and  did  not  ride  in 
together,  Mr.  Childs  having  already  stopped  at  the  house  of  a 
neighbor  just  on  the  edge  of  the  town.  Rodrock  now  rode 
in  advance,  and,  when  he  had  passed  about  half  through  the 
crowd,  without  giving  heed  to  their  commands  to  stop,  they 
started  to  run  after  him  from  both  sides  of  the  road,  some  car- 


THE   FRIES   REBELLION.  31 

rying  clubs  and  others  muskets,  and  made  motions  as  if 
they  intended  to  strike  him.  John  Fries  was  standing  upon 
the  porch  of  the  tavern,  and  when  he  saw  Rodrock  coming  up 
he  called  out  to  him  to  stop,  but,  paying  no  attention  to  it, 
some  of  the  men  ran  after  him.  The  assessor,  seeing  himself 
pursued,  wheeled  his  horse  and  demanded  of  Fries  what  he 
wanted  with  him.  This  seemed  to  excite  the  men  the  more, 
and  they  replied  to  him  with  curses,  and  ordered  him,  in  an 
authoritative  tone,  to  deliver  himself  up.  To  this  he  replied 
he  would  not  do  it  while  they  addressed  him  in  such  language 
as  they  had  applied  to  him.  Some  one  in  the  crowd  then 
gave  the  order  to  fire  at  him,  when  two  men  standing  near  the 
tavern  door  pointed  their  guns  but  did  not  fire.  He  now  rode 
off  toward  home,  and  when  they  saw  him  making  his  escape, 
they  again  commanded  him  to  stop;  some  making  demonstra 
tions  to  get  their  horses  and  pursue  him,  but  they  did  not. 
When  he  reached  the  house  of  Daniel  Penrose,  seeing  Jacob 
Fries  and  John  Jamieson  there,  he  halted  and  related  to  them 
what  had  taken  place.  He  appeared  to  be  much  alarmed  ; 
said  that  Foulke  and  Childs  had  been  captured,  and  was  afraid, 
they  would  be  killed.  He  requested  Jamieson  to  return  to 
the  village,  and  prevent  them  being  hurt,  which  he  declined 
doing  unless  Rodrock  would  accompany  him;  but  he  was 
finally  prevailed  upon  to  go.  He  found  the  two  assessors  in 
the  hands  of  the  mob  but  not  injured. 

The  other  two  assessors  were  less  fortunate  both  falling  into 
the  hands  of  the  enemy.  As  Mr.  Foulke,  who  was  some  little 
ways  in  the  rear  of  Mr.  Rodock,  approached  Roberts'  tavern, 
the  crowd  ran  out  to  surround  him.  Some  took  hold  of  the 
horse's  bridle,  while  others,  among  them  Captain  Kuyder, 
seized  his  person.  John  Fries  came  up  at  this  moment  and 
commanded  him  to  dismount,  saying  that  he  desired  to  speak 
to  him,  while  the  surrounding  crowd  demanded  he  should  be 
pulled  off  his  horse.  There  was  great  danger  of  violent  hands 
being  laid  on  him,  and  he  began  to  be  alarmed  at  his  situation. 
At  this  critical  moment,  the  two  Hoovers,  John  and  Jacob, 
came  to  his  assistance,  and  interfered  with  the  excited  multi 
tude  in  his  behalf.  They  ordered  the  mob  to  desist  from  their 


32  THE    FRIES   REBELLION. 

insults,  and  let  Mr.  Foulke  alone,  who  would  get  off  his  horse 
without  any  compulsion.  They  gave  the  insurgents  to  under 
stand  the  assessors  would  not  be  injured  while  they  could  pro 
tect  them.  Their  resolute  conduct  somewhat  silenced  the 
crowd.  Mr.  Foulke  deemed  it  the  best  policy  to  comply  with 
their  demands,  inasmuch  as  he  was  not  in  a  condition  to  help 
himself,  and  therefore  rode  up  to  the  tavern  shed,  where  he 
dismounted,  tied  his  horse,  and  went  into  the  house.  The 
crowd  followed  him  and  soon  the  bar-room  was  filled.  Now 
Fries  reminded  him  that  he  had  warned  him  the  day  before  not 
to  assess  the  houses  in  Milford  township,  and  yet  they  had  done 
so  contrary  to  his  orders.  He  then  demanded  Foulke's 
papers,  which  were  delivered  to  Fries,  who,  after  reading, 
carefully  returned,  them.  The  assessor  was  now  suffered  to 
depart,  Fries  escorting  him  through  the  people  to  his  horse, 
and  holding  the  bridle  while  he  mounted,  when  he  rode  off. 
Fries  admitted  to  Foulke  that  he  had  violated  the  law,  proba 
bly  enough  to  endanger  his  life,  and  told  him  that  he  might 
"  return  him  to  the  Court  if  he  wanted  to  do  so." 

It  \vill  be  remembered  that  Mr.  Childs  did  not  accompany 
Rodrock  and  Foulke  into  Quakertown,  but  stopped  at  the 
edge  of  it — at  the  house  of  Esquire  Griffith,  who  lived  where 
Joseph  R.  Lancaster  resided,  1859,  where  he  dismounted 
and  went  in.  As  he  was  getting  off  his  horse,  Mrs.  Griffith 
came  out  of  the  house  and  told  him  the  people  had  come  to 
make  him  and  the  others  prisoners,  and  there  was  a  large  crowd 
in  the  village  waiting  to  catch  them.  A  few  moments  after  he 
entered  the  house,  a  little  girl  came  into  the  room  and  said 
the  insurgents  were  taking  Mr.  Foulke,  and,  upon  going  to 
the  window,  saw  them  all  around  him.  When  he  saw  the 
danger  which  menaced  his  companions,  he  was  going  out  to 
assist  them,  but  the  family  persuaded  him  to  remain  where  he 
was,  and  not  place  himself  in  unnecessary  danger.  In  a  little 
while  John  Fries  came  to  the  house  and  saluted  Childs  in  a 
friendly  manner,  but  told  him  he  must  accompany  him  to  where 
his  men  were  ;  and,  as  he  had  not  the  power  to  resist,  concluded 
he  might  as  well  yield  with  as  good  grace  as  possible,  and 
thereupon  consented  to  go.  As  they  walked  along,  Fries  said 


THE   FRIES    REBELLION.  33 

to  Childs  he  had  told  him  yesterday  not  to  go  to  another 
house,  and  now  they  had  come  to  make  him  prisoner  if  they 
found  he  intended  to  go  on  with  the  assessments.  Childs  re 
plied  that  he  and  the  others  were  obliged  to  fulfil  their  office, 
unless  interrupted  by  force.  When  they  entered  the  tavern, 
Fries  addressed  himself  to  his  men  and  Childs,  saying:  "  Here 
are  my  men — here  is  one  of  them."  Going  into  the  bar-room 
he  seated  himself  upon  a  table  and  soon  there  were  several 
around  him  One  man  damned  him  and  said  he  should  go  to 
the  liberty  pole  and  dance  around  it.  During  this  time  they 
were  crowding  upon  him  and  pushing,  and  he  received  several 
thumps  with  the  knees  and  fists.  At  first  he  was  taken  for 
Rodrock,  but  when  it  was  discovered  he  was  not,  they  cursed 
him  anew  for  being  somebody  else.  He  then  made  himself  known 
as  Cephus  Childs,  when  some  one  remarked  he  was  no  better 
than  the  others.  They  asked  him  a  multitude  of  questioas 
about  the  assessments;  how  the  people  liked  it  where  he  had 
been,  whether  he  had  taken  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  the 
United  States,  &c.,  &c.  That  the  reader  may  judge  of  the 
temper  the  people  were  in,  we  make  the  following  extract 
from  the  testimony  of  Mr.  Childs,  given  on  the  trial: 

"They  damned  the  house  tax  and  the  stamp  act,  and  called 
me  a  'stampler,'  repeatedly;  they  damned  the  Alien  and  Se 
dition  laws,  and  finally  all  the  laws;  the  government  and  all 
the  laws  the  present  government  had  made.  They  damned 
the  Constitution,  also.  They  did  not  mention  what  constitu 
tion,  whether  of  this  State  or  of  the  United  States.  They 
damned  the  Congress,  and  damned  the  President,  and  all  the 
friends  to  government,  because  they  were  all  tories,  as  none 
were  friends  to  the  present  government  but  the  tories.  They 
said  they  would  not  have  the  government,  nor  the  President, 
and  they  would  not  live  under  such  a  damned  government  ; 
'we  will  have  Washington;'  others  said  no,  'No,  we  will 
have  Jefferson,  he  is  a  better  man  than  Adams;  huzzah  for 
Jefferson.'  ' 

Those  assembled  continued  in  this  strain,  and  constantly 
expressed  themselves  as  opposed  to  the  law,  and  their  deter 
mination  to  resist  its  execution.  They  boasted  that  every 


34  THE   FRIES    REBELLION. 

man  in  Northampton  county  would  assist  them  except  a  few 
tories,  and  that  between  Quakertown  and  the  Delaware,  they 
could  raise  ten  thousand  men  ;  and  further  that  General  Wash 
ington  had  sent  them  word  that  he  had  twenty  thousand  men 
to  assist  them.  Some  spoke  in  German  and  others  in  English. 
After  John  Freis  took  Mr.  Childs  into  the  house,  he  left  him 
among  the  crowd  and  went  out  again,  being  gone  some  time. 
When  he  returned  he  apologized  to  him  for  the  manner  in 
which  his  men  had  used  him.  He  then  took  him  into  an  in 
ner  room  where  there  were  but  few  people,  and  demanded  his 
assessment  papers.  He  gave  him  some  papers  he  had  about 
him,  but  which  did  not  refer  to  the  collection  of  taxes,  when 
Fries  gave  a  shout  and  told  his  men  he  had  got  what  they 
wanted.  He  then  went  out  of  the  room,  most  of  his  men  fol 
lowing  him.  The  crowd  were  gone  but  a  short  time  when 
they  returned  without  Fries,  shouting,  and  rushed  up  to  Childs 
and  took  hold  of  him.  Some  were  armed  with  clubs,  guns, 
pistols,  &c.,  and  others  had  swords.  Daniel  Weidner,  whose 
house  he  had  assessed  in  the  morning,  was  with  them,  who  in 
sisted  upon  Childs  surrendering  to  him  the  assessment  he  had 
made  of  his  house,  but  he  did  not  give  it  up.  They  again 
took  hold  of  him  and  shook  him  severely  ;  and  one  man  came 
forward  and  said  he  should  be  shot.  Conrad  Marks  was  pres 
ent  armed  with  a  sword,  who  made  many  threats,  but  did  not 
attempt  to  put  any  of  them  into  execution.  Childs  attempted 
to  reason  with  them,  but  it  had  little  if  any  effect  toward  paci 
fying  them.  During  this  proceeding,  Fries  returned  into  the 
room  and  gave  back  the  papers  to  Childs,  telling  him  at  the 
same  time  he  must  now  go  home,  and  never  come  back  again 
into  the  township  to  assess,  or  he  would  be  shot.  To  this  he 
replied  that  he  had  left  the  township  with  a  view  of  not  re 
turning  to  it  again  unless  compelled  to  do  so  by  authority,  and 
that,  from  their  present  treatment,  as  he  would  never  be  likely 
to  come  back  without  such  authority,  they  might  have  leave 
to  shoot  him.  They  then  told  him  they  wished  him  and  Mr. 
Foulke  to  inform  the  government  what  had  been  done,  as  soon 
as  they  pleased.  After  a  little  more  parleying  they  gave  him 
his  liberty,  when  he  rode  off,  glad  enough  to  make  his  escape 
from  such  unpleasant  company. 


THE    FRIES   REBELLION,  35 

There  is  some  discrepance,  as  regards  what  took  place  at 
Quakertown  the  day  the  assessors  were  captured,  between  the 
records  of  the  transaction  and  the  relation  of  those  who  have 
a  recollection  of  the  event.  We  had  interviews  with  some  of 
the  oldest  inhabitants  of  that  section  upon  the  subject,  and 
find  them  at  variance  with  the  testimony  drawn  from  other 
sources.  They  state  that  the  assessors  were  chased  to  Quak 
ertown  by  Fries  and  his  party,  and  that  he  snapped  his  gun 
three  times  at  Mr.  Foulke ;  that  the  latter  sprang  from  his 
horse  at  the  porch  of  Enoch  Roberts'  tavern  and  ran  in,  when 
they  hid  him  in  the  cellar,  where  he  remained  concealed  until 
ten  o'clock,  when  he  was  released  and  ran  home.  Another 
version  has  it  that  he  was  hid  under  the  counter  in  the  bar 
room,  and  that  Fries  hunted  all  through  the  house,  but  was 
unable  to  find  him;  that  they  got  Fries,  Haney  and  Getman 
drunk,  when  Foulke  stole  out  and  went  home.  Still  another 
story  is  that  he  was  kept  confined  in  a  stable,  and  that  Mr. 
Childs  was  sent  to  inform  his  wife,  but  was  afraid  to  go  into 
the  house,  and  walked  in  the  yard  until  ten  o'clock  at  night, 
when  Foulke  came  home.  These  statements  differ  so  widely, 
from  the  evidence  given  on  the  trial,  we  have  thought  it  best 
to  follow  the  testimony,  believing  that  to  be  the  nearest  cor 
rect,  because  it  was  related  under  oath  soon  after  the  events 
happened.  One  circumstance  is  told  by  those  who  remember 
the  difficulty,  which  seems  so  reasonable  it  i.s  probably  true; 
that  a  man  named  Everhart  pointed  his  gun  at  Foulke,  while 
they  ftad  him  imprisoned  at  the  tavern,  but  \vas  so  drunk  he 
fell  over  while  doing  so.  They  afterward  examined  the  gun, 
and  found  that  the  ball  had  been  put  in  the  bottom,  and  the 
powder  on  top. 

The  circumstances  which  took  place  at  Quakertown  decided 
the  assessors  to  make  no  further  attempt  to  take  assessments 
in  Milford,  as  they  were  convinced  it  would  lead  to  difficulty, 
and,  possibly,  bloodshed.  In  other  parts  of  the  county  the 
law  was  quietly  acquiesced  in,  and  the  officers  discharged  their 
duty  peaceably,  but  it  was,  nevertheless,  very  unpopular  and 
odious.  For  the  time  being,  Fries  and  his  friends  had  pre 
vented  the  execution  of  the  law  in  the  disaffected  district,  but 


36  THE   FRIES   REBELLION. 

as  far  as  we  have  been  able  to  learn,  no  public  outrages  were 
committed,  and  their  only  desire  seemed  to  be  to  prevent  the 
officers,  by  intimidation,  from  making  the  assessments. 

The  foregoing  embraces  the  proceedings  of  the  insurrection 
ists,  or  insurgents,  while  opposing  the  execution  of  the  house 
tax  law  in  Milford.  It  will  be  noticed  their  whole  conduct 
was  of  that  earnest  character  which  marks  the  actions  of  men 
who  are  sincere  in  what  they  are  doing.  While  there  was, 
naturally,  considerable  noise  and  confusion  attendant  upon 
their  conduct,  and  high  excitement  prevailing,  there  was  no 
unnecessary  disturbance,  and  nothing  that  can  properly  be 
called  violence.  Rude  they  were,  but  not  to  an  extent  to 
create  a  breach  of  the  peace.  We  have  every  reason  to  believe 
they  considered  the  law  of  the  most  oppressive  character,  and 
their  minds  had  probably  been  inflamed  against  it  by  the  mis 
representation  of  others.  This  opinion  had  been  formed  be 
fore  they  had  an  opportunity  to  learn  its  provisions  and  opera 
tions,  and  they  were  afterward  either  too  much  prejudiced,  or 
their  pride  would  not  permit  them,  to  be  rightly  informed. 
The  law  of  itself  was  a  mild  one,  and  no  one  who  examines  it 
at  this  day  can  see  anything  in  it  to  cause  such  opposition  to 
it.  The  rates  were  light,  and  the  burden  of  the  tax  fell  upon 
the  shoulders  of  those  who  were  the  best  able  to  bear  it. 
There  was  likewise  a  public  necessity  for  that  or  a  similar  Act 
of  Congress,  and  it  was  necessary  that  the  revenue  should  be  in 
creased,  as  there  was  every  probability  of  the  government  being 
driven  into  a  war  with  one  of  the  most  powerful  nations  of 
Europe.  The  situation  of  the  politics  of  the  country  had 
something  to  do  with  the  opposition  that  wras  raised  against 
the  law.  But  recently,  before  their  passage,  the  two  statutes 
known  as  the  Alien  and  Sedition  Laws  had  passed  Congress, 
which  were  received  with  a  burst  of  indignation  that  had  never 
been  equaled  in  the  country.  They  brought  the  administra 
tion  of  Mr.  Adams  into  great  unpopularity,  if  not  detestation. 
The  odium  that  rested  upon  these  laws  was  reflected  upon  the 
house  tax,  and  thus  it  was  condemned  in  advance  because  it 
was  found  in  bad  company.  Many  honest  people  believed 
that  an  Act  of  Congress  taxing  the  country,  emanating  from 


THE   FRIES    REBELLION.  37 

the  same  government  which  had  given  them  the  Alien  and 
Sedition  Laws,  must  naturally  be  a  wicked  one,  and,  they  were 
so  well  convinced  of  this,  they  were  not  open  to  persuasion  to 
the  contrary.  Another  circumstance,  in  connection  with  the 
manner  in  which  the  law  was  executed,  had  something  to  do 
with  its  great  unpopularity.  The  officers  exceeded  their  du 
ties,  and  went  beyond  their  instructions.  The  assessors  were 
only  required,  by  law,  to  assess  the  houses,  lands  and  slaves, 
and  were  not  directed  to  count  the  window  lights  of  the 
houses,  which  was  a  duty  superadded  by  the  officers  who  had 
charge  of  affairs.  The  fact  of  the  window  lights  being  counted 
created  suspicion  in  the  minds  of  the  people  that  it  was  done 
for  the  purpose  of  making  them  the  subject  of  future  taxation. 
This,  more  than  anything  else,  led  to  the  meetings  held  by  the 
people,  and,  notwithstanding  the  unpopularity  of  the  measure, 
there  would  probably  never  have  been  any  "  insurrection  "  or 
outbreak,  had  the  assessors  confined  themselves  to  the  duties 
which  the  law  required  of  them.  The  abuse  of  the  law  had 
probably  more  to  do  with  causing  the  disturbance  than  the 
law  itself. 


Rebellion, 


CHAPTER  IV. 

Opposition  to  th-er  Mouse  Tax  Law  in 
Northampton. 

Having  recounted,  in  the  preceeding  chapter,  the  opposition 
to  the  House  Tax  Law  in  Bucks  county,  and  the  disturbance- 
growing  out  of  ft,  we  shall  now  proceed  to  show  what  took 
place  in  Northampton. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  Jacob  Eyerley  was  appointed 
commissioner  fora  district  composed  of  the  counties  of  North 
ampton,1  Luzerne*  and  Wayne.3  As  soon  as  the  law  was 
passed,  the  people  of  Northampton  manifested  so  much  oppo 
sition  to  it,  Commissioner  Eyerley  believed  there  would 
be  difficulty  in  carrying  it  out.  This  was  before  he  had  en 
tered  upon  the  discharge  of  his  duties.  While  at  Reading,  in 
October,  he  was  informed  by  the  commissioner  from  Bucks, 
that  he  had  seen  persons  who  had  traveled  through  that  coun 
ty,  and  in  every  tavern  he  stopped  at,  the  law  was  the  subject 
of  general  conversation  and  denunciation,  and  great  pains  were 
taken  to  find  the  friends  of  government,  in  order  to  pursuade 
them  not  to  accept  the  office  of  assessor.  In  consequence  of 
this  feeling  there  was  great  difficulty  in  finding  suitable  per 
sons  for  these  appointments.  He  selected  one  in  each  town 
ship,  taking  the  most  suitable  for  the  duties,  from  all  the  in- 

1  Northampton  county  was  cut  off  from  Bucks,  1752. 

3  Luzerne  county  was  cut  off  from  Northumberland,  by  Act  of  September  25,  1786,  and 
so  named  in  honor  of  the  Chevelier  De  la  Luzerne,  then  French  Minister  to  the  United 
States.  Its  original  territory  embraced  5000  square  miles,  but  its  present  area  is  but 
1427.  A  portion  of  the  celebrated  Wyoming  Valley  lies  within  it. 

3  Wayne  county  was  organized  by  the  Act  of  March  21,  1798,  out  of  a  portion  of  North 
ampton,  and  named  after  General  Anthony  Wayne.  The  original  area  was  1300  square 
miles. 

138) 


THE   FRIES   REBELLION  39 

formation  he  could  get.  Commissions  were  immediately  sent 
them,  with  notice  to  meet  the  commissioner  to  receive  instruc 
tions.  At  that  time  the  commissioner  did  not  believe  the 
state  of  things  was  as  bad  in  Northampton  as  he  afterward 
found  it  to  be.  The  disaffection  in  Bucks  had  spread  over  the 
line  into  some  of  the  neighboring  townships  of  the  adjoining 
count}7,  and  the  people  had  become  as  hostile  to  the  tax  as 
Fries  and  his  neighbors. 

Commissioner  Eyerley  divided  Northampton  into  three  dis 
tricts  and  first  met  the  assessors  November  3,  at  Nazareth*. 
Two  were  absent,  and  some  of  those  present  asked  to  be  ex 
cused  from  serving,  or,  account  of  the  hostility  of  the  people 
and  the  assessors  fear  of  injury.  As  the  commissioner  had 
no  authority  to  relieve  them  they  were  not  excused.  Finding 
them  misinformed  of  the  nature  and  operation  of  the  law 
the  commissioner  took  great  pains  to  disabuse  their  minds, 
and,  with  such  success,  they  consented  to  serve,  and  were 
given  instructions.  The  following  day  he  met  the  assessors  of 
the  second  district  at  Allentown,*  all  being  present  but  one. 
The  same  difficulty  met  him  here  he  had  to  contend  with  at 
Nazareth,  disinclination  to  accept  for  the  same  reason,  oppo 
sition  of  the  people  to  the  law,  and  fear  of  being  assaulted, 
should  they  attempt  to  make  the  assessments.  With  a 
good  deal  of  difficulty  those  present  were  induced  to  accept 
the  appointments.  As  it  was  taken  for  granted  the  absent 
assessor,  a  Mr.  Home,  did  not  intend  to  accept,  a  blank  com- 
mission  was  left  with  Mr.  Balliott,  a  prominent  resident  of  the 
county,  with  authority  to  appoint  some  suitable  rnan  in  place 
of  Mr.  Home.  The  assessors  of  the  first  district  were  met 
November  6,  in  Chestnut  Hill  township,  with  two  absentees. 

4  Nazareth,  a  village  of  a  few  hundred  inhabitants,  in  Northampton  county,  ten  miles 
from  Bethlehem,  was  founded  by  the  Moravians,  1775.  The  first  house  erected  was  a 
spacious* stone  mansion  for  the  residence  of  Count  Zingendorf.  The  building  was  con 
verted  into  a  school,  1785,  and,  from  that  time,  known  as  "Nazareth  Hall,"  a  cele 
brated  boarding  school  for  boys. 

6  Allentown  was  laid  out  by  James  Allen,  1762,  after  whom  it  was  named,  and 
called  Northampton  until  1838,  when  the  present  name  was  adopted.  It  is  the  county 
seat  of  Lehigh,  and  situated  on  the  right  bank  of  the  Lehigh  river.  It  is  one  of  the  most 
beautiful  inland  cities  in  the  State. 


40  THE   FRIES    REBELLION, 

One  of  these  was  a  Mr.  Kearne,  of  Easton,"  but  as  it  was  not 
convenient  for  him  to  accept,  he  named  a  Mr.  Snyder,  who 
was  only  commissioned.  He  met  with  the  others  the  same 
day;  accepted  the  appointment  and  served.  He  stated  there 
was  much  opposition  to  the  law  in  his  section  of  the  county, 
and  he  did  not  understand  it  very  well  himself,  but  would  do 
the  best  he  could.  The  commissioner  took  considerable  pains 
to  explain  the  provisions  of  the  law,  which  entirely  satisfied 
him.  He  now  became  quite  warm  in  its  favor,  and  said  he 
would  ride  fifty  miles  if  it  were  necessary  to  accept  the  ap 
pointment,  since  he  had  been  wrongly  informed,  about  the  law 
in  the  first  place.  -The  assessor  from  Hamilton  township  did 
not  seem  willing  to  accept  his  appointment,  and  it  required  a 
good  deal  of  explanation  and  persuasion  to  overcome  his  dis 
inclination.  He  at  last  consented,  however,  accepted  his  com 
mission,  and  received  his  instructions. 

In  Northampton  county  the  principal  part  of  the  opposition 
to  the  law  was  in  the  townships  of  Heidelberg,  Weisenberg, 
Lynn,  Low  Hill,  Penn,  Moore,  Upper  Milford  and  Hamilton. 
In  four  districts  it  was  of  such  violent  character  the  law 
was  not  executed  until  after  the  troops  were  marched  into 
them,  and,  in  some  of  them,  the  people  were  almost  unani 
mous  against  it.  In  Moore  township,  the  opposition  was  only 
among  a  portion  of  the  inhabitants,  and,  when  the  assessor 
was  opposed  when  making  the  assessment,  he  called  a  town 
meeting  and  took  the  sense  of  the  people.  The  assessor  of 
Penn  township  did  not  meet  the  commissioners,  but  refused 
to  accept  the  appointment  in  view  of  the  difficulties  in  his 
way.  Some  time  elapsed  before  any  one  could  be  found  wil 
ling  to  accept  the  office,  but,  finally,  one  bold  enough  to  as 
sume  the  responsibility,  presented  himself  and  he  was  com 
missioned  and  qualified.  When  the  people  of  the  township 

— 

6  Easton,  the  seat  of  justice  of  Northampton  county,  situated  at  the  confluence  of  the 
Delaware  and  Lehigh,  at  what  was  known  as  "  Forks  of  Delaware,"  was  laid  out  by 
William  Parsons,  1752.  A  ferry  was  established  here  as  early  as  1739,  by  David 
Martin,  of  Trenton,  N.  J.,  at  which  time  a  few  log  houses  were  standing  on  the  present 
site  of  the  town.  A  jail  was  completed,  1755,  and  the  first  court  house  erected, 
1766.  Easton  has  been  the  county  seat  since  the  organization  of  the  county,  1752.  It 
is  the  seat  of  Lafayette  College,  chartered,  1826. 


THE   FRIES   REBELLION.  41 

heard  that  another  person  had  been  appointed  in  place  of  the 
one  first  named,  and  had  undertaken  to  discharge  the  duties 
of  the  office,  they  became  very  violent  and  threatened  him 
with  personal  injury.  The  leaders  of  the  opposition  collected 
a  number  of  the  disaffected  into  a  mob,  who  waited  upon 
the  assessor,  and  gave  him  to  understand  harm  would  be  done 
him  if  he  attempted  to  take  the  rates.  This  demonstration 
intimidated  him  to  such  degree  he  resigned,  and  declined  to 
have  anything  more  to  do  with  it.  The  hostility  to  the  law 
continued  so  great  in  this  township,  the  assessments  were 
not  made  until  sometime  late  in  the  spring  of  1799,  and  after 
the  presence  of  a  military  force  had  completely  quelled  every 
thing  like  opposition. 

The  spirit  of  insubordination  first  manifested  itself  a  little 
while  before  the  general  election,  when  meetings  were  held  in 
different  parts  of  the  county  to  take  action  upon  the  subject. 
At  one  of  these  meetings  the  officers  of  the  militia  were  in 
vited  to  be  present,  and  their  co-operation,  as  the  leaders  of 
the  military  of  the  country,  was  earnestly  desired.  The  lead 
ing  object  was  to  nominate  candidates  opposed  to  the  law.  At 
this  meeting  several  resolutions  were  passed,  one  recommend 
ing  the  circulation  of  petitions  asking  a  repeal  of  the  Alien 
and  Sedition  Laws  and  the  land  tax.  The  proceedings  were 
published  in  the  newspapers  and  circulated  among  the  people. 
A  petition  was  given  to  each  of  the  captains  of  militia  to  get 
signers.  On  the  day  of  election  the  people  turned  out  very 
generally,  and,  in  most  of  the  districts,  the  opposition  to  the 
government  was  so  general,  its  friends  dare  not  say  a  word  in 
its  favor  for  fear  of  being  abused.  The  anti-administration 
candidates  were  elected  by  considerable  majorities,  and  the 
people,  generally,  rejoiced  at  their  success. 

In  Hamilton  township,  the  people  were  so  much  enraged  at 
Nicholas  Michael,  the  assessor,  for  accepting  the  appointment, 
they  went  in  large  numbers  to  his  house  at  night  to  do  him 
bodily  injury,  but,  being  informed  of  their  intention,  he  sought 
safety  in  flight.  The  next  day  he  went  to  the  commissioner 
and  made  complaint  of  the  treatment  he  had  received,  ten 
dered  his  resignation,  and  begged  its  acceptance.  This  was 


42  THE    FRIES    REBELLION. 

declined;  he  was  told  to  return  to  his  duty,  and  he  would  be 
protected  in  the  discharge  of  it.  He  accompanied  the  com 
missioner  to  Easton,  to  see  Mr.  Sitgreaves,  the  United  States 
Attorney  for  the  district,  before  whom  he  intended  to  make 
affidavit  in  order  to  have  some  of  the  evil-disposed  placed  un 
der  arrest.  Mr.  Sitgreaves  not  being  at  home,  they  went  to 
Judge  Traill,7  an  associate  judge  of  the  county;  but,  when 
they  arrived  there,  Michael  became  alarmed  and  begged  to  be 
allowed  until  the  next  morning  to  consider  the  matter;  say 
ing,  that  if  he  informed  against  the  people,  he  and  his  family 
would  be  ruined.  In  the  morning  he  wished  to  be  put  in  jail 
to  be  kept  from  danger,  so  great  were  his  fears,  but  his  request 
was  not  complied  with. 

In  the  present  state  of  excitement  the  commissioner  deemed 
it  advisable  to  call  a  public  meeting,  at  which  the  people 
could  come  together  and  have  the  law  explained  to  them,  as 
he  was  of  opinion,  the  greater  part  of  the  opposition  arose 
from  a  misconception  of  its  provisions.  With  this  object  in 
view,  he  gave  Mr.  Michael  a  letter  to  take  to  the  constable  of 
the  township,  requesting  him  to  fix  the  time  and  place  for 
the  meeting,  and  to  give  proper  and  timely  notice  thereof. 
Mr.  Eyerley  promised  to  be  present  to  explain  the  law  to  such 
as  did  not  understand  it.  The  constable,  accordingly,  an 
nounced  the  meeting  to  be  held  at  the  public  house  of  a  Mr. 
Heller,  and  the  time  fixed  was  a  few  days  before  New  Year's, 
but  we  have  not  been  able  to  ascertain  the  precise  day.  The 
commissioner  was  present  according  to  promise,  being  accom- 


7  Robert  Traill  was  born  on  one  of  the  Orkney  Islands,  April  29,  1744,  and  was  the 
son  of  a  clergyman.  He  came  to  America,  1763,  reaching  Philadelphia  the  25th  of  De 
cember.  He  shortly  went  to  Easton  where  he  was  occupied  in  a  store,  taught  school  a 
year;  then  studied  law,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar,  1777.  He  took  an  active  part  in  the 
Revolution,  and  was  Secretary  of  the  County  Committee  of  Safety  from  1776  to  1778; 
was  appointed  a  justice  of  the  peace,  1777,  and  military  storekeeper  at  Easton,  March 
u,  1778.  He  was  sheriff  of  the  county  from  1781  to  1784;  member  of  the  Assembly 
for  the  sessions  of  1785-86;  member  of  the  Supreme  Executive  Council  of  Pennsylvania, 
1786-88;  and  was  commissioned  one  of  the  Associate  Judges  of  Northampton,  holding 
the  office  from  May  14,  1796,  to  January  22,  1798,  when  he  resigned.  Judge  Traill  died 
at  Easton,  July  31,  1816.  He  filled  a  large  space  in  public  estimation,  exerted  a  wide  in- 
influence  and  was  distinguished  for  his  probity  of  character.  His  descendants,  in  the 
female  line,  live  at  Easton,  one  of  them  being  Dr.  Traill  Green. 


THE    FRIES   REBELLION.  43 

panied  into  the  township  by  William  Henry,8  one  of  the  Asso 
ciate  Judges  of  Northampton.  When  they  arrived  at  the 
place  of  meeting  they  found  some  seventy  persons  assembled, 
among  them  three  or  four  in  uniform,  whose  arms  were 
stacked  behind  the  tavern  door.  After  the  meeting  was  or 
ganized,  Mr.  Eyerley  arose  and  stated  that  he  had  come  there 
as  their  friend,  to  explain  the  house  tax  law,  that  they  might 
no  longer  be  in  ignorance  of  its  provisions.  He  and  Judge 
Henry  then  proceeded  to  explain  the  statutes  as  they  under 
stood  them,  but  with  little  effect,  as  the  people  were  not  dis 
posed  to  listen  to  any  explanation  that  would  be  likely  to  give 
them  a  more  favorable  opinion  of  the  odious  law.  They  hated 
it,  and  did  not  wish  to  think  well  of  it.  In  order  to  reconcile 
the  people,  to  the  assessment  of  the  rates,  he  proposed  they 
should  elect  an  assessor  of  their  own  ;  this  they  refused  to 
do,  saying,  if  they  did,  it  would  amount  to  submission  to  the 
law,  which  they  did  not  mean  to  make.  The  assessor  already 
appointed  was  anxious  to  resign,  but  this  he  was  not  allowed 
to  do,  as  no  one  could  be  found  who  would  accept  the  ap 
pointment  in  his  place. 

In  Upper  Milford,9  the  people  opposed  to  the  law  held  a 
township  meeting  and  appointed  a  committee  of  three  to  wait 
upon  the  assessor  when  he  should  begin  the  a^se^sment,  and 
request  him  to  desist;  and  about  the  last  of  December,  when 
he  began  the  work,  he  was  met  by  this  committee  and  in 
formed  he  could  not  proceed.  No  violence  was  offered,  but 
he  was  given  to  understand  he  would  not  be  permitted  to 
carry  out  the  law.  He  immediately  wrote  the  commissioner 


8  William  Henry,  son  of  William  and  Ann  Henry,  was  born  at  Lancaster,  Pa.,  March 
12,  1757.     In  1778  he  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  fire-arms  in   Northampton  county, 
and  in  1808  erected  a  forge  in  which  the  first  iron  manufactured  in  the  county  was  drawn 
March    9,  1809.      In    1813    he  built    the    Boulton    Gun    Works  on     the   Bushkill,   which 
are  still  continued  by  his  descendants  of  the  name.      Mr.  Henry  was  commissioned  Janu 
ary  14,  1788,  a  justice  of  the  peace  and  Judge  of  the  Courts  of  Common  Pleas  and  Quar 
ter  Sessions  of  the  count}'.      He  resigned  1814.     In  1792  he  was  elected  one  of  the  Presi 
dential  electors  of  the  State  and  cast  his  vote  for  Washington  for  President.      He  removed 
to  Philadelphia,  1818,  where  he  died  April  21,  1821. 

9  Upper  Milford,  a  township  of   Lehigh  county,  but   originally  in    Bucks  until  North 
ampton  was  cut  off,  was  organized,  1738.     There  were  two  Milfords,  Upper  and   Lower, 
the  former  falling  in  Northampton  on  the  division  of  Bucks,  1752.     Germars  settled  here 
in  the  first  quarter  of  the  last  century. 


44  THE   FRIES   REBELLION. 

informing  him  of  the  situation  of  affairs,  and  asked  advice  as 
to  the  course  to  be  pursued.  The  latter  again  thought  it  ad 
visable  to  have  a  public  meeting'  called,  at  which  he  would 
make  another  effort  to  explain  the  law  to  the  people,  and  en 
deavor  to  satisfy  them  with  its  provisions.  He  directed  the 
assessor  to  give  notice  to  John  Schymer,  Moretz  and  other 
leading  men  of  the  township,  that  he  would  meet  them  at  such 
time  and  place  as  they  might  appoint.  The  place  fixed  upon 
was  the  house  of  Mr.  Schymer,  date  not  known.  When  the 
time  arrived  the  commissioner  L'et  out  for  the  place  of  meet 
ing,  accompanied  by  Judge  Henry,  and,  when  he  arrived  within 
four  miles  of  it,  he  was  met  by  a  friend  who  advised  him  not 
to  attend,  saying  the  people  were  so  violent  his  life  would  be 
endangered,  but  he  disregarded  the  warning  and  kept  on.  He 
found  some  75  men  assembled  at  the  hous"fe  of  Schymer,  sev 
eral  of  them  having  French  cockades  in  their  hats,  showing 
very  plainly  which  side  they  took  in  politics. 

One  of  the  petitions,  which  a  previous  meeting  had  recom 
mended  should  be  circulated  for  signatures,  was  handed  the 
commission  who  read  it  to  the  people.  Some  of  them,  upon 
hearing  it,  said  it  was  not  such  a  petition  as  they  had  been  led 
to  believe  it  was,  as  it  mentioned  nothing  about  the  stamp 
act.  As  there  was  a  report  in  circulation  that  the  act  was  not 
in  force,  Mr.  Eyerley  read  it  in  German,  and  explained  to  them 
it  was  their  duty  to  submit  to  it.  One,  George  Shaeffer,  deny 
ing  that  it  was  a  law,  the  question  was  submitted  to  the  de 
cision  of  Mr.  Schymer,  who,  being  a  justice  of  the  peace,  had 
considerable  influence  over  the  minds  of  the  people.  Shaeffer 
was  inclined  to  be  noisy  and  created  a  disturbance,  and  he  and 
others  used  abusive  language  to  the  assessor,  Mr.  Hecktweld- 
er,10  accusing  him,  among  other  things,  of  having  been  a  tory 
during  the  Revolution.  Mr.  Eyerley  proposed  that  inasmuch 
as  they  were  opposed  to  the  present  assessor,  he  would  give 
them  the  privilege  of  electing  one  of  their  own  number,  to 
whom  he  would  give  the  appointment.  This  they  declined, 

10  Heckewelder,  who  lived  at  Emaus,  now  in  Lehigh  county,  was  appointed  one  of  the 
assessors  for  Upper  Milford  or  Salisbury,  probably  the  latter.  He  was  doubtless  a  son, 
or  grandson,  of  Heckewelder,  the  Moravian  divine. 


THE   FRIES    REBELLION  45 

saying:  "We  will  do  no  such  thing;  if  we  do,  we  at  once  ac 
knowledge  that  we  submit  to  the  law,  and  that  is  what  we  will 
not  do."  Three  of  the  Shaeffers  made  demonstrations  to  beat 
Heckewelder,  but  were  deterred  by  the  interference  of  others, 
and  he  was  allowed  to  go  away  without  injury.  The  commis 
sioner,  even  with  the  countenance  of  Mr.  Schymer  and  several 
other  well  disposed  persons  present,  found  it  impossible  to 
reconcile  the  multitude  to  the  law,  and  he  returned  home  a 
second  time  without  having  effected  anything.  The  oppo 
sition  to  the  law  in  this  township,  likewise,  was  not  overcome 
until  the  presence  of  troops  intimidated  them  into  submission, 
when  the  rates  were  taken  without  further  trouble. 

Resistance  to  the  enforcement  of  the  law  had  now  reached 
that  stage  it  became  necessary  for  the  authorities  to  take 
some  notice  of  it.  About  January  15,  1799,  Judge  Henry,  at 
the  request  of  Commissioner  Eyerley,  and  upon  complaint  of 
the  assessors  that  they  found  it  impossible  to  proceed  in  the 
execution  of  their  duty,  issued  a  number  of  subpoenas  to  bring 
persons,  cognizant  of  the  opposition  to  the  execution  of  the 
laws,  before  him  that  he  might  make  a  careful  examination  of 
the  cause  of  complaint  and  ascertain  its  truth.  The  witnesses 
who  appeared  were  generally  very  reluctant  to  give  informa 
tion,  being  afraid  the  insurgents  would  do  them  some  injury. 
The  Judge  made  appointment  to  meet  a  nurrber  of  persons  at 
Trexlertown,11  to  inquire  further  into  the  matter,  and  a  con 
siderable  crowd  assembled.  Among  those  present  was  part  of 
a  company  of  light  horse  under  Captain  Jarrett."  The  men 
were  mostly  in  uniform,  and  many  of  them  noisy  and  impu 
dent.  The  Judge  was  attended  by  the  commissioner  and  Mr. 
Balliott.  They,  who  were  present,  paid  little  respect  to  the 
officers  but  ridiculed,  and  made  fun  of  them.  From  the  indi 
cations  at  this  meeting,  it  was  evident  the  disturbance  could 
not  be  quelled  by  the  local  officers,  and  it  was  thought  best  to 

11  Trexlertown,  in  Lehigh  county,  but,  at  that  time,  in  Northampton,  is  a  small  post 
village,  eight  miles  from  Allentown,  on  the  Catasauqua  and  Fogelsville  railway.     It  is 
in  a  rich  agricultural  region. 

12  Although  Captain  Jarrett  was  evidently  a  man  of  some  prominence  in  the  communi 
ty,  we  have  not  been  able  to  obtain  any  information  concerning  him  beyond  that  found  in 
the  text.     The  company  he  commanded  was  a  local  volunteer  organization.     Henry  Jar 
rett,  probably  a  relative,  commanded  a  troop  of  light  horse  at  Marcus  Hook,  1814. 


46  THE   FRIES    REBELLION-. 

appeal  to  the  Federal  authority.  The  steps  now  about  to  be 
taken  changed  the  aspect  of  affairs.  Hitherto,  it  was  consid 
ered  but  a  local  disaffection  to  a  law  of  questionable  expedi 
ency,  and  improperly  understood,  and  which,  in  due  time, 
would  subside  and  be  heard  of  no  more.  Down  to  this  point 
it  had  hardly  attracted  public  attention  outside  of  the  rural 
districts  where  the  opposition  was  made,  and  neither  State  nor 
Federal  Government  had  given  it  consideration.  It  now  as 
sumed  National  importance,  and  what  shortly  before,  was  un 
worthy  the  attention  of  politicians  or  statesmen,  became  a 
matter  of  great  moment.  The  action  of  Judge  Henry  was  the 
incipient  step  that  changed  the  affair  to  an  insurrection,  and 
converted  the  opponents  of  the  house-tax  law  into  insurgents 
and  traitors  to  their  country. 

Mr.  Sitgreaves,  United  States  District  Attorney,  was  sent  a 
number  of  the  depositions  he  had  caused  to  be  taken  to  Judge 
Peters,13  of  the  United.  States  District  Court,  Philadelphia. 
This  was  some  time  in  February,  and  the  first  official  informa 
tion  the  Judge  received  on  the  subject,  although  he  had  be 
fore  heard  of  it  as  a  matter  of  news.  He  examined  a  few  wit 
nesses  in  addition  to  the  affidavits,  and,  from  the  facts  elicited, 
thought  it  his  duty  to  issue  warrants  for  the  parties.  Being 
much  engaged  he  directed  the  District  Attorney  to  draw  up 
the  form  of  warrants  for  his  approval  and  signature.  It  had 
been  decided,  that,  in  order  to  ease  the  minds  of  the  people, 
the  warrants  should  be  drawn  in  the  nature  of  an  order  for  the 
defendant  to  appear  before  some  justice  of  the  peace,  or  judge 
of  the  county,  and  give  bail  for  appearance  at  the  Circuit 
Court  of  the  United  Statec,  but  circumstances  prevented  it. 
After  this  had  been  decided  upon,  it  came  to  the  knowledge 
of  the  authorities  that  several  of  the  magistrates  themselves 
were  disaffected,  and  others  were  prevented  doing  their  duty 
through  fear  of  injury.  The  Judge  also  had  scruples  as  to  the 
legality  of  the  measure,  whether  persons,  arrested  on  his  war 
rants,  could  be  taken  before  an  inferior  magistrate  While  his 

13  Richard  Peters  was  born  in  Philadelphia,  1744  ;  admitted  to  the  bar,  1763  ;  ap 
pointed  a  Justice  of  the  United  States  District  Court  for  the  Eastern  District  of  Penn 
sylvania,  1792,  and  died  on  the  Bench,  1828,  after  continued  service  of  36  years. 


THE   FRIES    REBELLION. 


47 


mind  was  in  doubt,  he  received  additional  information  of  the 
state  of  the  people  in  the  disaffected  districts,  and  this  induced 
him,  both  to  make  a  change  in  the  form  of  the  warrants  and 
the  procedure  under  it.  The  warrants  were  now  to  be  made 
returnable  to  Judge  Peters'  Court. 


Rebellion. 


CHAPTER  V. 

The   Marshal    Mal«tes   Arrests  in    Northern  ptorx- 

When  the  form  of  the  warrants  was  agreed  upon,  they  were 
made  out  and  put  into  the  hands  of  Colontl  Nichols,1  United 
States  Marshal,  to  be  served.  This  was  about  January  25, 
and  the  Marshal  was  directed  to  proceed  to  Northampton 
county  immediately  and  make  the  arrests.  He  left  Philadel 
phia  on  the  26th,  serving  a  few  subpoenas  on  the  road,  in  or 
der  to  collect  evidence,  reaching  Nazareth  on  March  1st. 
Here  the  Marshal  met  Commissioner  Eyerley,  and  told 
him  of  the  object  of  his  visit,  requesting  him  to  go  with 
him  to  serve  the  warrants  executed.  Those  placed  in  his  hands 
being  only  for  the  arrest  of  persons  in  Northampton  county. 
The  next  morning,  accompanied  by  Eyerley,  and  Eyerman,  the 
Marshal  set  out  to  execute  the  warrants.  They  went  first 
into  Lehigh  township,  where  twelve  were  arrested,  all  against 
whom  they  had  process,  but  five  others  came  in  afterward  and 
gave  themselves  up.  Their  offence  being  resistence  to  the  ex 
ecution  of  the  house-tax  law.  They  then  returned  to  Bethle 
hem,  where  they  were  met  by  Colonel  Balliott. 

The  Marshal's  party  next  went  to  Macungie  township, 
where  they  had  no  difficulty  until  they  came  to  the  house  of 
George  Snyder,  near  Emaus,2  on  whom  the  Marshal  wished 
to  serve  a  subpoena.  Snyder  and  his  wife  used  abusive 

1  Samuel   Nichols  was   appointed   U.    S.    Marshal  of    Pennsylvania,  April    10,    1795 ; 
qualified  May  i8th,  and  confirmed  June  26th.     He  served  one   term  of    four  years  ;  was 
reappointed  during   a  recess  of   the   Senate,  June  26th,  1799,  and   succeeded,  Dec.   6th, 
1799,  by  John  Hall.     The  State  had  not  yet  been  divided  into  two  districts.     His  county 
is  not  given. 

2  Emaus   is  a  small  town,  lying  at   the   foot  of   South    Mountain,   five    miles   south 
east  of  Allentown,  on  the  East  Penn.  railroad.     The  Moravians  organized  a  church  here, 
1747,  the  house  in  which  they  worshipped  being  built  as  early  as  1742. 

(48) 


THE   FRIES   REBELLION.  49 

language  toward  them,  the  woman  taking  the  lead.  The 
husband  came  out  of  his  house  with  a  club,  and  positively  re 
fused  to  receive  the  subpoena.  He  called  the  Marshal  and  the 
men  with  him  rascals  and  highway  robbers,  and,  upon  being 
told  he  was  only  wanted  to  go  to  Philadelphia  as  a  witness,  he 
refused  with  an  oath.  The  Marshal  finding  he  could  do  noth 
ing  with  him  requested  Daniel  Swartz's  son  to  read  and  ex 
plain  the  subpoena  to  him,  and  leaving  it  with  him  to  be  served 
if  it  were  possible.  Thence  they  proceeded  to  Millarstown,3 
a  few  miles'  distant.  On  the  road  they  stopped  at  the  house 
of  the  Rev.  Mr.  VanBuskirk,4  where  they  left  their  horses  and 
walked  into  the  town.  The  Marshal  had  a  warrant  for  George 
Shaeffer,  active  in  opposing  the  law,  and  to  whose  house  they 
next  proceeded  to  arrest  him,  but  he  was  not  at  home.  Not  meet 
ing  with  success  in  this  case  they  went  to  the  tavern,  where  a 
considerable  number  of  people  had  assembled. 

They  now  made  an  attempt  to  arrest  a  man  named  Shank- 
wyler,  who  also  lived  in  Millarstown.  The  Marshal  and  Com 
missioner  walked  over  to  his  house,  leaving  Mr.  Eyerman  at 

3  Millarstown,  now  called  Macungie,  signifying  "  the  feeding  place  of  bears,"  and  laid 
out  by  Peter  Millar  about  1776,  is  situated  at  the  foot  of  South  Mountain  on  the  East 
Penn.  railroad,  nine  miles  from  Allentown.  It  was  incorporated  in  1857. 

*  Jacob  VanRuskirk,  a  native  of  Holland,  settled  with  his  family  on  a  tract  he  pur 
chased  in  Lower  Macungie  township,  Lehigh  county,  November  19,  1784.  The  borough 
of  Macungie  now  occupies  the  same  land.  I  do  not  know  the  maiden  name  of  his  wife, 
but  she  was  a  sister  of  the  great-grandmother  of  the  late  General  Hartranft.  He  preached 
for  the  Lehigh  Church  at  Germanto\vn,  and  at  the  Trappe,  visiting  his  congregations  on 
horseback.  He  built,  and,  for  several  years  operated,  the  tannery  at  Macungie,  owned  by 
his  great-grandson,  James  Singmaster.  He  had  three  sons  and  four  daughters;  George 
became  a  physician,  and  settled  at  Pottstown;  Jacob  removed  to  New  York  State,  where 
he  died;  John,  the  third  son,  settled  in  Virginia,  afterward  came  to  Philadelphia  and 
kept  an  hotel.  He  married  a  Miss  Eckhart,  of  Berks  county.  Of  the  daughters,  Lydia 
married  Adam  Singmaster,  of  Millarstown,  and,  after  his  death,  Daniel  Good,  of  Upper 
Milford;  another  married  John  Shimer,  of  Shimersville,  Northampton  county,  E.  S. 
Shimer,  Mayor  of  Allentown,  being  a  grand-son.  Mr.  VanBuskirk  was  an  ardent  sup 
porter  of  John  Adams'  Administration,  and,  during  the  excitement  of  the  "  Fries  Rebel 
lion,"  1798,  an  attempt  was  made  on  his  life.  While  sitting  at  home,  surrounded  by  his 
family,  a  bullet  was  sent  crashing  through  the  window,  but  he  luckily  escaped  injury.  He 
was  buried  at  North  Wales,  and  his  wife  at  the  Lehigh  Church.  Adam  Singmaster,  who 
married  the  daughter  Lydia,  was  a  descendant,  probably  a  son,  of  John  Adam  Zang- 
miester,  who  came  from  Wurtumburg  in  the  good  ship  ,'"  Patience,"  Hugh  Steelmaster, 
September  19,  1749,  and  settled  in  Bucks  county.  Adam,  when  a  young  man,  went  to 
Millarstown,  where  he  obtained  employment  in  Rev.  Jacob  VanBuskirk's  family,  and 
afterward  married  the  daughter. 


50  THE   FRIES    REBELLION. 

the  tavern.  They  had  not  intimated  they  desired  to  ar 
rest  him,  but  when  they  left  the  tavern  the  people  suspected 
their  intention  and  followed  them  in  a  crowd  to  the  number 
of  about  fifty.  They  went  in  advance  of  the  officers,  and, 
reaching  the  house  before  them,  filled  the  large  room.  When 
the  Marshal  arrived  a  friend  pointed  out  Shankwryler  to  Col. 
Nichols,  but  observing  what  was  going  on,  he  withdrew  into 
the  crowd,  with  the  intention  of  hiding  himself  from  view  ; 
but  the  Marshal  followed  him,  and,  putting  his  hand  upon 
his  shoulder,  informed  him  he  was  a  prisoner,  in  the  name  of 
the  United  States,  announcing  himself  as  the  United  States 
Marshal  for  the  Eastern  District  of  Pennsylvania.  Shank- 
wyler,  having  no  idea  of  being  captured  without  some  resist 
ance,  broke  loose  from  the  Marshal  and  fled  toward  the  barn. 
He  proclaimed  he  would  not  injure  the  Marshal,  but  made 
threats  against  Eyerley  and  Balliott,  toward  whom  he  mani 
fested  great  hostility.  The  people  became  much  excited  at 
this  proceeding,  and  many  cried  out  in  German,  "Strike! 
Strike!"  Some  said  if  he  were  taken  out  of  his  house  they 
would  fight  as  long  as  they  had  a  drop  of  blood  in  their 
bodies.  They  seemed  inclined  to  lay  violent  hands  upon 
Balliott,  and  one  of  the  crowd  presumed  to  pull  the  cockade 
from  his  hat.  The  Marshal  warned  them  of  the  consequences 
of  their  attempting  to  strike,  and  reasoned  with  them  upon 
their  riotous  conduct.  Finding  that  himself  and  companions 
were  in  danger,  the  Marshal  unbuttoned  his  coat,  that  the 
people  might  see  a  pair  of  pistols  he  had  with  him,  and  also  in 
order  that  he  might  be  able  to  grasp  them  quickly,  should  he 
find  it  necessary  to  use  them.  The  determined  manner  of  the 
Marshal  had  its  effect,  and  the  crowd  became  quieter.  Shank- 
wyler  refused  to  accompany  the  Marshal  to  Bethlehem,  and 
swore  he  would  resist  the  authorities  of  the  United  States,  let 
the  consequences  be  what  they  might.  He  was  told  such  a 
course  would  ruin  himself  and  family,  and  be  the  destruction 
of  his  property,  to  which  he  replied  that  his  father  had  fought 
against  the  stamp  act,  and  he  would  resist  the  tax  law  which 
was  supported  by  none  but  tories  and  the  friends  of  government. 
At  last  he  was  prevailed  upon  to  promise  to  meet  the  Mar- 


THE   FRIES   REBELLION.  51 

'shal  at  Bethlehem,  but  could  not  be  induced  to  say  that  he 
would  submit  or  surrender  himself.  Seeing  that  nothing 
further  could  be  accomplished  there,  the  officers  took  their 
leave.  As  they  left  the  house  the  people  set  up  a  shout  and 
hurrahed  for  "  Liberty."  The  Marshal  now  continued  on  his 
rounds.  He  procured  a  constable  to  show  him  where  Adam 
Stephen,  Herman  Hartman,  and  Daniel  Everly,  for  whom  he 
had  warrants,  lived.  Having  arrested  these  persons  he  and 
his  p.irty  returned  to  Bethlehem,  where  they  arrived  on  the 
evening  of  March  6,  Bethlehem  was  his  headquarters,  and 
here  he  had  his  prisoners  confined. 

Bethlehem,  the  place  of  confinement  of  the  Marshal's 
prisoners,  was  such  an  important  point  at  that  day  it  will  not 
do  to  pass  it  by  with  a  mere  mention  of  its  name,  but  deserves 
something  more.  It  stands  on  the  north  bank  of  the  Lehigh, 
Northampton  county,  twelve  miles  above  where  the  river 
empties  into  the  Delaware.  Here  was  made  the  first  permanent 
settlement  of  the  Moravians  in  North  America.  The  first 
tree  was  felled  on  the  spot  where  Bethlehem  stands  Dec.  22, 
1/40,  by  a  small  party  from  Nazareth.  The  cold  was  intense, 
the  snow  lay  deep  on  the  ground  ;  and  through  the  winter 
they  encountered  many  privations  and  hardships.  By  the 
opening  of  spring  a  small  log  house  was  completed.  On  Sep 
tember  8,  1741,  the  corner-stone  of  a  second,  and  much  more 
commodious,  house,  was  laid  with  interesting  religious  cere 
monies.  The  first  house  stood  until  1823,  when  it  was  torn 
down  to  make  room  for  the  Eagle  Hotel  stables;  but  the 
second  has  weathered  the  storms  of  nearly  one  hundred  and 
sixty  years,  and  still  stands  as  a  monument  of  the  founding  of 
Bethlehem.  The  first  tree  to  build  the  first  house  was  cut 
down  by  David  Nitschman,  who  was  born  in  Moravia,  Sep 
tember  18,  1676,  and  died  at  Bethlehem,  April  14,  1758.  He 
was  the  first  bishop  of  the  brethren  in  America,  and  officiated 
at  the  laying  of  the  corner-stone  of  the  second  building  in 
1741. 

A  recent  writer  speaking  of  this  interesting  building  says  : 
"Here,  as  in  a  common  home,  lived,  side-by-side,  the  artisan 
and  man  of  leisure — a  little  company  met  together  from  the 


52  THE   FRIES   REBELLION. 

various  walks  of  life,  self-denying  and  devoted  men,  actuated 
by  one  spirit,  and  that  the  spirit  of  mutual  love  for  Christ. 
Here  lived  for  a  number  of  years  the  elders  of  the  congrega 
tion,  its  bishops  and  ministers.  Here  they  met  in  conference 
to  deliberate  on  the  condition  of  the  Lord's  work  in  their 
midst,  and  abroad  among  the  Indian  tribes.  Its  walls  have 
echoed  to  the  voice  of  Zinzendorf,6  and,  for  fifteen  years  was 
the  home  of  that  great  and  good  man,  the  worthy  Bishop 
Spangenberg.0  In  the  little  hall  on  the  second  floor,  the  place 
of  worship  for  the  congregation  as  late  as  1751,  Spangenberg 
presided  on  two  occasions  at  interviews  with  deputations  from 
the  rude  tribes  of  Wyoming  Valley.7  Nanticokes  and  Shaw- 
nese,  dressed  in  all  their  savage  finery  of  feathers  and  painted 
deerskin,  had  come  to  see  the  home  of  the  intrepid  mission 
ary,  whose  lonely  canoe  they  had  encountered  on  the  upper 
waters  of  the  Susquehanna,  to  smoke  the  friendly  pipe,  and 
assure  him  of  their  good-will  in  a  covenant  of  peace  and  mu 
tual  friendship." 

8  Count  Zinzendorf,  founder  of  the  Moravian  Colony  north  of  the  Lehigh,  and  descend 
ed  of  a  noble  Austrian  family,  was  born  at  Dresden,  Saxony,  May  26,  1700.  He  was 
educated  ar  Halle  and  the  University  of  Wittenberg,  and  afterward  spent  some  time  in 
traveling.  He  was  married  in  1732  to  the  Countess  Von  Reuss,  and  became  a  convert  to 
the  Moravian  faith  shortly  afterward.  He  landed  at  New  York,  December  2,  1741, 
reaching  Philadelphia  the  loth,  and  Bethlehem  the  24th.  He  immediately  became  an 
object  of  general  interest  and  was  recognized  as  the  head  of  the  Moravian  movement 
lately  initiated  in  the  province.  In  June,  1742,  he  organized  the  Moravian  congregation 
at  Bethlehem,  and  preached  his  farewell  sermon  at  Philadelphia,  December  31,  leaving 
the  same  evening  for  New  Yark  to  embark  for  Europe,  where  he  died  May  9,  1760.  He 
was  accompanied  to  America  by  his  daughter  Benigna. 

8  Augustus  Gottlieb  Spangenberg,  a  bishop  of  the  TJnitas  Fratrum,  or  Moravian  Church, 
was  born  at  Klettenberg,  Prussia,  July  15,  1704,  and  died  at  Bershelsdorf,  Saxony,  Septem 
ber  18,  1792.  He  graduated  at  Jena,  where  he  later  became  a  professor,  and  also  at  Halle. 
In  1735  he  led  the  first  Moravian  colonists  to  Georgia.  Having  been  appointed  to  preside 
over  the  Moravian  Churches  in  America,  he  was  raised  to  the  episcopalcy  in  1744  and 
arrived  at  Bethlehem,  Pa.,  the  same  year.  In  1760  he  was  recalled  to  Europe  to  take  a 
seat  in  the  Supreme  Board  of  the  Church  over  which  body  he  presided  twenty-three  years. 
He  may  justly  be  called  the  founder  of  the  Moravian  Church  in  America.  He  was  a 
learned  theologian,  a  man  of  great  power,  and  a  writer  of  many  historical  and  theological 
works. 

7  The  Wyoming  Valley,  so  famous  in  history  and  song,  lies  along  the  Susquehanna, 
and  spreads  about  Wilkesbarre,  the  county  seat  of  Luzerne.  In  it  took  place  the  bloody 
massacre  of  its  inhabitants  by  Indians,  in  1778,  and  avenged  in  1779  by  an  army  under 
General  Sullivan.  Campbell's  "Gertrude  of  Wyoming"  has  made  this  valley  almost  as 
famous  as  the  Vale  of  Cashmers. 


THE    FRIES    REBELLION.  53 

Bethlehem  was  originally  intended  as  a  place  of  rendezvous 
for  the  missionaries  among  the  Delaware  and  Mohican  In 
dians,  which  it  held  for  twenty  years,  but,  at  the  end  of  that 
time,  became  the  seat  of  the  Moravian  congregation,  organ 
ized  by  Count  Zinzendorf.  A  school  for  girls  was  opened  as 
early  as  1749,  but  the  boarding  school  was  not  commenced 
until  1785,  and  is  still  in  operation. 

During  the  Revolutionary  War  Bethlehem  was  often  visited 
by  American  troops,  and  upon  more  than  one  occasion  the 
brethren  were  sufferers  from  military  exactions.  On  the  re 
treat  of  Washington  through  New  Jersey,  December,  1776, 
Lee's  divison,  under  the  command  of  General  Sullivan,  after 
crossing  the  Delaware,  came  to  this  place,  where  it  encamped 
on  the  I7th,  and  La  Fayette  spent  some  time  there  to  recover 
from  the  wound  received  at  Brandywine. 

In  the  spring  of  1778,  the  single  Sisters  presented  to  Count 
Pulaski  an  elegant  embroidered  banner,  which  was  borne  at 
the  head  of  his  regiment  until  he  fell  at  Savannah,  1779.  Beth 
lehem  was  also  visited  by  the  Baron  De  Kalb,  September, 
1777.  Hospitals  were  established  there  for  the  sick  and 
wounded  of  the  army,  and  it  was  also  made  a  depot  for  pro 
visions;  and,  in  fact,  during  the  whole  war  it  was  an  import 
ant  point  in  military  operations.  Washington  styled  the 
weaving  department  of  Sisters  House,  "  the  first  domestic 
manufactories  of  the  land,"  and  from  there  supplied  himself 
and  wife  with  articles  of  wearing  apparel. 

The  situation  of  Bethlehem  is  beautiful  and  romantic  in 
the  extreme,  and  nature  and  art  combined  have  rendered  it 
one  of  the  most  charming  spots  in  the  country.  It  has  grown 
into  a  town  of  some  10,000  inhabitants,  and  become  an  im 
portant  business  centre.  Two  railroads  and  a  canal  give  the 
inhabitants  great  facilities  for  trade,  and  manufactories  are 
rapidly  growing  up  around  it.  The  influx  of  strangers  has 
done  away  with  much  of  the  exclusive  Moravian  impress 
formerly  stamped  upon  the  town,  but  the  spirit  of  their  insti 
tutions  still  prevails  to  a  great  extent,  and  may  be  said  to  be 
the  governing  influence. 


54  THE   FRIES   REBELLION. 

The  arrest  of  the  persons  for  whom  warrants  were  issued, 
and  their  confinement  at  Bethlehem  by  the  Marshal,  caused 
unusual  excitement  throughout  the  country.  It  created  great 
indignation  in  the  disaffected  districts  of  Northampton  and 
Bucks,  and  was  considered  an  act  of  tyranny  and  oppression 
on  the  part  of  the  government.  As  soon  as  it  became  known 
the  arrests  were  made,  the  leaders  of  the  opposition  to  the  law 
determined  to  rescue  them,  if  possible.  For  the  purpose  of 
consulting  on  the  subject,  a  meeting  was  called  at  the  public 
house  of  Conrad  Marks8,  Milford,  Bucks  county,  on  March 
7.  Notices  were  carried  around  the  evening  before  -and  left 
at  the  houses  of  those  known  to  be  friendly  to  the  movement. 
By  ten  o'clock  a  number  of  people  had  assembled,  and  con 
siderable  excitement  was  manifested.  The  general  sentiment 
was  in  favor  of  immediate  organization  and  marching  to  Beth 
lehem  tb  take  the  prisoners  from  the  hands  of  the  Marshal. 
The  crowd  was  formed  in  a  company,  and  John  Fries  elected 
captain.  They  were  variously  armed  ;  some  with  guns,  others 
with  swords  and  pistols,  while  those  with  less  belligerent  feel 
ings,  carried  clubs.  Subsequently,  when  Fries  was  examined 
before  Judge  Peters,  he  said  his  "motive  in  going  to  Bethle 
hem  to  rescue  the  prisoners  was  not  from  personal  attachment, 
or  regard  for  any  of  the  persons  who  had  been  arrested,  but 
proceeded  from  a  general  aversion  to  the  law,  and  an  inten 
tion  to  impede  and  prevent  its  execution."  This  reason,  how 
ever,  hardly  explains  their  course,  under  the  circumstances. 
Their  plan  was  first  to  march  to  Millarstown  and  thence  to 
Bethlehem. 

The  people  of  Northampton,  meanwhile,  had  also  taken  ac 
tion  in  reference  to  a  rescue  of  the  prisoners.  A  meeting  to 


8  Conrad  Marks'  tavern  was  in  Milford  township,  Bucks  county,  near  where  the  four 
corners  of  Bucks,  Montgomery,  Berks  and  Lehigh  come  together.  His  petition  for 
license,  in  the  Quarter  Sessions  office,  was  to  August  term,  1796,  in  which  he  states  he 
had  removed  to  the  well-known  tavern  on  the  Magunshey  (Macungie)  road  in  said  town 
ship  of  Milford,  formerly  occupied  by  George  Horlacker,"  also  that  the  house  had  been 
"kept  as  such  above  forty  years."  His  endorsers  were  David  Spinner  and  George  Hor 
lacker.  For  many  years  the  house  was  known  as  Geary's  tavern. 


THE   FRIES    REBELLION.  55 

consult  on  the  subject  was  called  at  the  tavern  of  Martin  Rit- 
ter,9  to  meet  at  10  o'clock,  on  the  morning  of  March  7.  No 
tice  was  also  given  for  two  or  three  companies  of  light  horse 
to  meet  there  at  the  same  time,  one  of  which  was  commanded 
by  Captain  Jarrett.1' 

At  the  hour  appointed  a  considerable  number  of  persons 
were  on  the  ground,  and  much  noise,  confusion  and  excite- 
merit  prevailed.  Upon  the  meeting  being  organized,  and  a 
conference  had  about  the  matter,  that  had  brought  them  to 
gether,  it  was  unanimously  resolved  to  march  for  Bethlehem 
without  delay.  The  strength  of  the  party  which  marched  for 
that  place  we  have  no  means  of  knowing,  as  the  records  do  not 
give  it.  Soon  after  starting  they  selected  a  commander,  the 
choice  falling  upon  Andrew  Shiffert.  There  were  a  few  pres 
ent  who  questioned  the  propriety  of  the  movement,  but  the 
general  voice  was  so  nearly  unanimous  in  its  favor,  their  ad 
vice  was  not  listened  to.  The  excitement  ran  high,  and  the 
multitude  clamored  to  be  led  to  the  rescue  of  their  friends  in 
the  hands  of  the  Federal  authorities.  They  did  not  look  at  the 
consequences  that  might  recoil  upon  themselves,  nor  did  they 
care  at  that  particular  moment,  for  they  were  burning  under 
a  sense  of  real  or  imagined  wrong.  They  were  blind  to  the 
nature  of  the  step  they  were  taking,  and  deaf  to  the  voice  of 
reason.  The  multitude  believed,  in  case  they  should  succeed  in 
rescuing  the  prisoners,  the  matter  would  end  there.  Or,  if  it 
did  cross  the  minds  of  the  most  far-seeing  that  such  indignity 
to  the  government  might  be  taken  notice  of,  and  troops  or 
dered  there  to  capture  the  guilty,  it  was  not  supposed,  for  a 
moment,  the  authorities  would  be  able  to  do  anything  with 
them.  With  this  feeling  the  march  was  taken  up  for  Gunes' 
tavern,  three  miles  from  Bethlehem,  where  some  confederates 


9  We  are  not  able  to  fix  the  locality  of  Martin  Ritter's  tavern.     We  thought,  at  first,  it 
was  on  the  sight  of  the  present  Rittersville,  four  miles  from  Bethlehem,  on  the  road  to 
Allentown.     But  this  was  imposible  as  the  place  of  meeting  of  the  Northampton  in 
surgents  was  on  the  south  side  of  the  Lehigh,  while  Rittersville  is  on  the  north. 

10  The  same  Captain  Jarrett  previously  mentioned.     His  military,  on  this  occasion,  was 
a  regularly  organized  volunteer  company. 


56  THE   FRIES    REBELLION. 

were  expected  to  join  them.     Here  they  resumed  the   march 
for  the  bridge  that  crosses  the  Lehigh  at  South  Bethlehem.11 


11  The  South  Bethlehem  Star,  published  a  few  years  ago,  the  following  account  of  the 
establishing  of  a  ferry  and  the  subsequent  building  of  a  bridge  across  the  Lehigh  at 
Bethlehem,  by  which  the  insurgents  crossed:  "  The  first  public  means  of  crossing  the 
Lehigh  was  a  ferry  at  the  same  place  where  the  old  Lehigh  bridge  now  crosses  the  river- 
It  was  opened  on  March  IT,  1743,  and  the  man  who  first  paddled  passengers  across  the 
new  ferry  was  Adam  Schaus.  Ferriage  was  at  first,  for  a  horse  and  rider,  3d.  In  1745 
the  use  of  the  ferry  was  free  to  all  who  lived  in  Bethlehem  or  delt  there.  Travelers  were 
expected  to  pay  if  they  would,  but  in  case  they  objected  they  were  not  to  be  constrained. 
Improvements  gradually  crept  in  and  1750  wharves  were  constructed.  Eight  years  there 
after  a  rope  was  introduced  which  rendered  a  passage  across  the  river  a  much  less  serious 
matter  than  heretofore.  At  last  came  a  bridge  in  1794.  John  Schropp,  warden,  was 
empowered  hy  an  Act  of  Assembly  to  undertake  the  enterprise  and  to  associate  stock 
holders  with  himself.  That  first  bridge  was  built  of  hemlock,  was  uncovered  and  cost 
$7800.  In  1816  this  bridge  was  removed  and  a  more  substantial  structure  put  in  its  place. 
The  latter  bridge  was  also  uncovered.  In  April,  1827,  the  present  Bethlehem  Bridge 
Company  was  organized.  In  1841  the  second  bridge  across  the  Lehigh  was  swept  away 
by  a  freshet,  after  which  the  present  covered  one  was  constructed.  After  the  great 
freshet  of  1862  the  present  bridge  had  to  be  partially  rebuilt,  a  portion  of  it  having  been 
carried  away  by  the  waters." 


JUDGE  WILLIAM   HENRY 


OF    NORTHAMPTON    COUNTY. 


Jfpie§    Rebellion. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

of   the   Prisoners  at   BetHler^ern. 

Fries  and  his  friends  received  word,  the  night  before,  that  the 
Northampton  people,  opposed  to  the  law,  also  intended  to  make 
an  effort  to  take  the  prisoners  from  the  hands  of  the  Marshal. 
In  the  morning  Conrad  Marks  sent  his  son  to  Ritter's  tavern, 

o  * 

to  learn  what  movement  was  on  foot  at  that  place.  In  the 
meantime  the  march  was  commenced  for  Millarstown,  and 
when  they  had  gone  three  or  four  miles  on  the  road,  young 
Marks  was  met  returning.  He  informed  them  the  Northamp 
ton  people  were  already  in  motion,  a  large  party  having  left 
Ritter's  before  his  arrival ;  that  it  was  not  worth  while  for  them 
to  go,  as  a  sufficient  number  was  on  the  maich  to  accomplish 
what  they  had  in  view.  Upon  learning  this  some  were  in 
favor  of  turning  back,  but  Conrad  Marks  and  John  Fries 
advised  they  should  go  at  least  to  Bethlehem  to  see  what  was 
going  on  there.  The  march  was  now  resumed.  Daniel  Fries, 
son  of  John,  says  that  his  father  started  for  Bethlehem 
mounted,  but,  when  near  old  John  Cline's,  the  animal  cut  its 
foot  with  the  cork  of  his  shoe  and  was  disabled.  Daniel  was 
with  him,  and,  as  the  horse  was  of  no  further  service  on  the 
road,  Fries  sent  his  son  back  with  it  and  continued  the  march 
on  foot.  They  passed  by  Ritter's  tavern,  and  followed  the 
route  of  the  Northampton  contingent  which  had  preceded 
them,  overtaking  and  joining  them  at  the  south  end  of  the 
bridge  over  the  Lehigh  at  South  Bethlehem.1  The  whole 

1  South  Bethlehem  is  on  the  south  bank  of  the  Lehigh  opposite  Bethlehem.  Here -was 
the  Crown  Inn,  the  first  licensed  house  on  the  Lehigh  that  rose  to  the  dignity  of  a 
tavern,  and  on  the  site  of  it  is  the  Union  Railroad  Station.  The  house  was  built  in  1745 
and  licensed  in  June,  1746.  The  "Crown"  played  an  important  role  in  Colonial  days. 
Around  the  site  of  this  old  hostelry  has  grown  a  town  of  fifteen  thousand  inhabitants; 
it  is  the  seat  of  Lehigh  University  and  here  is  located  great  iron  works.  Bethlehem  and 
South  Bethlehem  are  still  connected  by  a  wooden  bridge  that  crosses  the  Lehigh  at  about 
the  same  place  as  the  old  one  of  '99. 

(57) 


58  THE   FRIES   REBELLION. 

command  numbered  about  one  hundred  and  forty  men, 
including  two  companies  of  riflemen  and  one  of  mounted 
men,  the  latter  being  armed  with-  broad  swords.  They 
presented  quite  a  martial  appearance.  Their  march  through 
the  thickly  populated  country  swelled  their  ranks  by  the 
addition  of  a  number,  attracted  by  curiosity,  who  followed 
after  to  see  what  would  take  place,  without  any  intention  of  tak 
ing  part  in  the  proceedings.  They  were  neutrals. 

We  have  already  said  the  Marshal  returned  to  Bethlehem 
with  his  prisoners  the  nig'.it  of  March  6,  and  confined  them  in 
the  Sun  tavern.2  As  the  Marshal  passed  through  the  country, 
on  his  return,  he  heard  a  rumor  that  an  attempt  would  be 
made  to  rescue  the  prisoners,  but  he  did  not  conceive  such  a 
thing  possible,  supposing  somebody,  as  a  matter  of  amuse 
ment,  had  raised  the  story  to  alarm  him.  Upon  reaching 
Bethlehem,  howtver,  the  rumor  was  confirmed,  and  he  was 
convinced  a  movement  of  the  kind  was  on  foot  by  a  band  of 

2  A  public  house  has  been  kept  on  the  spot  where  the  Sun  tavern  stands  for  140  years. 
The  expedience/  of  erecting  a  house  of  entertainment  at  Bethlehem  was  first  considered 
and  the  location  fixed  upon,  in  July,  1754,  but  delay  prevented  its  completion  until  1758. 
Down  to  this  time  travelers  were  accommodated  at  "  The  Crown  "  on  the  south  bank  of 
the  Lehigh,  built  1743,  and  cjnverted  into  a  farm  house  in  1794..  Chastellux,  a  French 
gentleman  traveling  in  America  near  the  close  of  the  last  century  says  of  the  "Sun  :"  "  This 
tavern  was  built  at  the  ex  J2n;e  of  the  Society  of  Moravian  Brethren  whom  it  served  as 
a  magazine,  and  is  very  handsome,  and  spacious.  The  person  who  keeps  it  is  only  the 
cashier,  and  obliged  to  render  an  account  to  the  administrators.  As  we  had  already 
dined  we  only  drank  tea,  but  ordered  breakfast  for  the  next  morning  at  TO  o'clock."  An 
English  gentleman  traveling  in  this  country  at  that  period  also  visited  Bethlehem  and 
put  up  at  the  Sun  tavern.  He  afterward  translated  the  work  of  Chastellux,  and  in  it, 
makes  the  following  note  in  reference  to  this  tavern  :  "This  inn  for  its  external  appear 
ances,  and  its  interior  accommodations,  is  equal  to  the  best  of  the  large  inns  in  England, 
which,  indeed,  it  very  much  resembles  in  many  respects.  The  first  time  I  was  in  Bethle 
hem,  in  company  with  my  friends,  Maj  >r  Pierce  Butler,  Mr.  Thomas  Elliott  and  Mr. 
Charles  Pinckney,  Carolina  gentlemen,  \v^  remained  here  two  or  three  days,  and  were 
constantly  supplied  with  venison,  mo  ise,  game,  and  the  most  delicious  red  and  yellow 
bellied  trout,  the  highest  flavored  wild  strawberries,  the  most  luxurious  asparagus  and 
the  best  vegetables,  in  short,  I  ever  saw  ;  and  notwithstanding  the  difficulty  of  procuring 
good  wine  and  spirits  at  that  period  throughout  the  continent,  we  were  here  regaled  with 
rum  and  brandy,  of  the  best  quality,  and  exquisite  old  Port  and  Madeira."  The  present 
condition  and  appearance  of  the  Sun  tavern  are  in  strong  contrast  compared  with  a 
century  ago.  It  is  excelled  by  few,  if  any,  public  house  outside  the  large  cities,  and  the 
accommodations  are  of  the  best.  It  is  frequently  alleged  Lafayette  put  up  at  the  Sun 
tavern,  while  recovering  from  the  wound  received  at  Brandywine,  1777,  but  this  is  an 
error.  He  occupied  the  house  lately  owned  by  Ambrose  Rauch,  on  Main  street,  torn 
dx.vn  1872.  The  Marjuis  was  driven  in  a  carriage  from  Bristol,  on  the  Delaware,  to 
Bethlehem,  a  distance  of  sixty  miles. 


THE   FRIES   REBELLION.  59 

armed  men.  The  prisoners  arrested  in  Lehigh  township  were 
released  upon  their'own  bonds,  with  good  securities  for  their 
appearance,  but  the  others  were  held  in  custody. 

The  information,  that  an  attempt  at  rescue  would  be  made, 
naturally  gave  the  Marshal  great  uneasiness,  and  he  proceeded 
to  take  such  steps  as  were  deene.i  necessary  to  prevent  it. 
He  held  a  consultation  with  Judge  William  Henry,  Mr. 
Eyerley,  the  commissioner,  Mr,  Balliott,  Joseph  Horsfield,3 
a  justice  of  the  peace  at  Bethlehem,  and  General  Brown.4  He 
had  received  instructions  before  leaving  Philadelphia  to  call 
out  a  posse  comitatus  in  case  it  should  be  found  necessary,  but 
was  forbidden  to  use  an  armed  force.  He  made  a  demand 
upon  Judge  Henry  for  armed  men,  but  as  the  latter  had 
received  similar  instructions,  and  there  could  not  be  found  any 
authority  authorizing  it,  the  requisition  was  refused.  It  was 
therefore  decided  to  call  such  force  as  they  were  authorized  to 
accept,  and,  accordingly,  summoned  a  civil  posse.  Twenty  men 
were  called  from  Bethlehem  and  Easton,  but  only  eighteen 
responded,  arriving  between  ten  and  eleven  in  the  forenoon. 
We  have  not  been  able  to  get  the  names  of  all,  but  among 
them  were  William  Barnett,  John  Barnett,  Christian  Winters, 
Christian  Roths  and  Philip  Schlaugh.  The  prisoners  were  re 
moved  upstairs  to  a  room  thought  to  be  more  secure.  As 
General  Brown  was  a  person  of  influence  in  the  county,  the 
Marshal  requested  him  to  command  at  Bethlehem  and  lend 
the  assistance  of  his  counsel,  but  he  declined  on  account  of 
having  been  absent  so  long  from  his  farrrly.  In  the  mean 
time  an  officer  was  sent  to  arrest  a  clergyman  named  Eyer- 


3  Joseph    Horsfield  was   a   prominent   citizen  of    Northampton,    and  justice    of   the 
peace  many  years  at  Bethlehem.     He  was  the   youngest  child  of   Timothy   and    Mary 
Horsfield,  who   settled   in    Long  Island,   1749,   and  removed  to   Bethlehem,   1750.     He 
married  a  niece  of  the  celebrated   Anthony  Benezet,     Philadelphia,    whose   mother  was 
a  great  court  beauty  during  the  reign  of,  Louis  XIV.      He  was  a  witness  on  the  trial  of 
Fries  for  the  prosecution.     He  died  at  Bethlehem,  1834,  at  the  age  of  84  years. 

4  General  Brown  was  a  descendant  of  an  immigrant  who  settled  at  "Craig's  Settle 
ment,"  Allen  township,   Northampton   county,   about   1735.     He  was  prominent  in   his 
generation,    and    played    an  important  part  in    the    county    during    the    Revolutionary 
struggle.     Robert  Brown,  of  that  section,  was  a  prominent  man  of  his  day  and  an  officer 
in  the  Continental  army. 


60  .     THE   FRIES    REBELLION. 

man5  and  one  John  Fox,  both  active  in  opposing  the  law, 
and  who  were  thought  to  be  too  dangerous  to  go  atlar  e. 
They  were  taken  and  brought  in  without  opposition.  The 
proceeedings  becoming  known  in  the  surrounding  country,  a 
large  number  of  people  came  to  witness  a  conflict,  which,  it 
was  supposed,  could  not  be  avoided. 

About  eleven  o'clock,  a  Mr.  Dixon,  who  arrived  from  Emaus, 
informed  the  Marshal  he  had  seen  a  number  of  persons  as 
sembled  at  Ritter's  tavern,  under  arms,  some  mounted,  others 
on  foot,  who  were  about  to  march  for  Bethlehem  ;  and  also 
saw  others  on  the  road.  This  was  the  first  positive  informa 
tion  that  an  armed  party  was  actually  coming  to  attempt  a 
rescue  of  the  prisoners.  In  about  half  an  hour  two  men,  one 
armed  with  a  smooth  bore  gun,  the  other  with  a  rifle,  arrived 
at  the  Sun,  dismounted  in  the  yard,  came  quietly  into  the 
house,  and  placed  themselves  by  the  side  of  each  other  opposite 
the  door.  The  Marshal,  and  some  of  the  people  who  were 
collected,  inquired  the  reason  of  their  coming  there  armed, 
when,  after  some  hesitation,  they  replied  they  "  had  come  upon 
a  shooting  frolic."  Upon  being  questioned  as  to  what  they 
intended  to  shoot,  one  of  them  evaded  a  reply  by  saying 
they  wanted  to  see  what  was  best  for  the  country.  They 
were  then  told  to  withdraw,  and  not  appear  in  arms  to  obstruct 
the  process  of  the  United  States.  To  this  they  replied  they 
were  freemen,  and  had  a  right  to  go  where  they  pleased.  They 
were  supposed  to  be  of  the  insurgent  force,  and,  as  they  would 
probably  come  straggling  in,  it  was  thought  best  to  secure 
them  in  detail.  They  were  accordingly  arrested,  their  arms 
taken  from  them,  and  they  were  taken  up  stairs  and  confined 
in  a  chamber.  Shortly  after  three  other  mounted  men  arrived 
in  uniform,  at  the  head  of  whom  was  Shankwyler,  who  had  re 
fused  to  submit  to  an  arrest  the  day  before.  The  Marshal 
asked  him  if  he  had  come  to  surrender  himself,  but  he  replied 

5  Among  the  prisoners  released  at  Bethlehem  was  Jacob  Eyerman,  a  clergyman  resid 
ing  in  Hamilton  township,  Northampton  county,  recently  arrived  from  Germany.  He 
was  one  of  the  most  active  in  stirring  up  opposition  fo  the  house  tax  law,  only  second 
in  influence  to  John  Fries,  and  continued  to  preach  to  his  congregation  until  his  tongue 
was  silenced  by  arrest.  After  his  release  he  fled  to  the  State  of  New  York,  where  he 
was  arrested  and  brought  back.  He  was  tried,  found  guilty  of  conspiracy  ;  sentenced  to 
one  year  with  a  fine  of  $50,  and  to  give  security  for  one  year  for  his  good  behavior. 


THE    FRIES    REBELLION.  6 1 

he  came  to  meet  his  accuser.  They  gave  no  indication  of 
creating  a  disturbance  and  mingled  peacebly  with  others 
assembled.  Information  was  now  brought  in  that  there  was 
an  armed  force  at  the  Lehigh  bridge,  on  the  march  for  the 
tavern.  A  consultation  was  held,  and  it  was  deemed  best  to 
send  a  deputation  down  to  hold  a  conference  with  them,  to 
learn  their  intention.  It  was  agreed  to  send  a  delegation  of 
four  upon  this  duty,  two  Federalists  and  two  anti-Federalists. 
The  men  selected  were  John  Mulhallon,'  William  Barnett, 
Christian  Roths  and  Isaac  Hartzell,  gentlemen  of  standing  ar.d 
influence  in  the  county.  They  received  no  particular  instruc 
tions,  and  were  only  charged  to  prevail  upon  the  armed  force 
not  to  come  into  town. 

The  deputation  rode  down  through  the  main  street  of 
Bethlehem,  crossed  the  Lehigh  to  the  south  bank,  and  pro 
ceeded  about  a  half  mile  beyond  the  bridge,  where  they  met  a 
party  of  armed  horsemen,  whom  they  learned  were  from  the 
neighborhood  of  Millarstown.  These  belonged  to  the  North 
ampton  contingent.  Upon  inquiring  for  the  commanding 
officer,  they  were  told  they  had  no  officers  but  were  all  com 
manders.  The  committee  then  told  them  the  object  of  their 
visit,  and  used  every  persuasion  to  induce  them  to  relinquish 
their  march  to  Bethlehem.  They  explained  to  them  the  prob 
able  consequences  of  the  rash  step  they  were  about  to  take; 
that  they  would  be  resisting  the  laws  of  the  United  States  in 
rescuing  the  prisoners,  and  the  Government  would  surely 
punish  them  for  it.  All  they  said  seemed  to  have  but  little  or 
no  effect.  While  Judge  Mulhallon  and  Mr.  Barnett  were 
talking  with  these  people  in  front,  Christian  Roths  went  tow7ard 
the  rear  to  use  his  influence  in  that  quarter.  One  of  the  men 
said  to  him,  "We  don  t  know  you;"  whereupon  he  told 
them  in  reply,  that  whether  they  knew  him  or  not,  they  would 
thank  him  for  the  advice  he  had  given  them.  Another  pointed 
his  gun  at  him.  This  did  not  alarm  Roths,  who  mildly  said, 
"Little  man,  consider  what  you  are  about  ;  don't  be  too  much 
in  a  hurry."  While  they  were  holding  tuis  parley  a  company 

• 

6  John  Mulhallon,  called  "Judge"  Mulhallon,  and  probably  Associate  Judge  at  one 
time,  was  appointed  the  first  Prothonotary  for  Lehigh  county,  when  it  was  cut  off  from 
Northampton. 


62  THE    FRIES   REBELLION. 

of  armed  riflemen  came  up.  They  were  likewise  informed 
of  the  wish  of  the  Marshal,  but  they  gave  it  no  more  heed 
than  the  others. 

The  march   of  the  insurgents  was  now  resumed   and   they 
continued  to  the  bridge  where  another  halt  was  made.     The 
committee  here  held  another  parley  with   them,  endeavoring, 
by  all  possible  means,  to  induce  them  not  to  go  over  into  the 
town.     They  now  said  that  the  Marshal  had  two  of  their  men 
prisoners,  who  had  gone  to  Bethlehem  under  arms,  and  they 
intended  to  set  them  free.     They  appeared  to  be  alarmed  at 
the  idea  of  the  prisoners  being  taken  to  Philadelphia  for  trial. 
While  admitting  they  should  be  punished,  if  they  had  done 
wrong,  they   must  be  tried  in  Northampton   county.     When 
the  committee    saw  the    insurgents  were  determined    to  pro 
ceed,  they  suggested  it  would  be  better  to   send  three  or  four 
men  over  as  a   deputation   to   confer  with  the    Marshal.     To 
this  they  agreed,  and  three  of  their  number  were  appointed  to 
go.     Afraid  lest   these    men   should  also  be   made    prisoners, 
they  stipulated  with   William   Barnett  that   he  should   return 
them  safely.     The  two  committees  then   crossed   the  river  to 
Bethlehem,  and  together  proceeded  to  the  Sun  tavern.     They 
were  taken  before  the  Marshal  and  had  a  conference  with  him- 
Upon  inquiring  the  reason  of   so  many    armed  men    coming 
there,  they    replied    they    came    to    prevent    him    taking    the 
prisoners  to  Philadelphia  to  be  tried.     He  told  them  that  that 
could  not  be,  and  advised  them  to  go  to  their  companions  and 
persuade    them    to  return    to    their  homes.     They  requested 
that  the  two  men,  who  had  been  made  prisoners  in  the  morn 
ing,  should  be  released,  which  was  done  and  their  arms  delivered 
to  them.     As  the  committee  had  promised,  they  now  returned 
with  these  men  to  the  south  side  of  the  river  to  deliver  them 
to  their  companions. 

We  last  took  leave  of  John  Fries  and  his  friends  on  their 
march  from  Conrad  Marks'  tavern  by  the  way  of  Millarstown 
to  BetKlehem.  They  were  a  little  in  the  rear  of  the  Northamp 
ton  contingent,  and  arrived  at  the  bridge  while  the  committee 
of  citizens  were  gone  to  the  tavern  with  the  men  deputed  to 
confer  with  the  Marshal.  They  did  not  halt  any  length  of 


THE   FRIES   REBELLION.  3 

time  on  the  south  bank  of  the  river,  but  pushed  across  and 
continued  on  to  the  tavern,  where  the  prisoners  were  confined. 
Meanwhile,  the  committee  of  conference,  on  the  part  of  the, 
Marshal,  had  started  on  their  return  accompanied  by  the  two 
released  prisoners  and  their  three  friends.  When  they  reached 
the  lower  part  of  the  village,  they  met  the  force  of  John 
Fries  marching  up  the  main  street.  They  stopped  him  to  hold 
a  parley,  and  endeavored  to  prevail  upon  him  and  his  men  not 
to  continue  their  march  up  into  the  town;  but  they  disregarded 
their  appeal  and  said  they  were  determined  to  go  on.  One  of 
the  men,  supposed  to  have  been  Fries,  said,  "This  is  the  third 
day  that  I  am  out.  I  had  a  fight  yesterday,  and  I  mean  to 
have  one  to-day  if  they  do  not  let  the  prisoners  clear.''  They 
now  resumed  the  march.  The  force  consisted  of  two  companies 
of  riflemen,  and  one  of  mounted  men,  numbering  in  all  about 
one  hundred  and  forty.  The  horsemen  marched  two  abreast 
armed  with  drawn  swords.  The  footmen  carried  rifles,  at  a 
trail,  in  single  file.  One  of  tbe  companies  was  commanded  by 
a  Captain  Staeler,  and  wore  tri-colored  cockades  on  their  hats. 
Fries  marched  in  front  of  the  riflemen  and  was  apparently  in 
command 

The  appearance  of  this  large  armed  force,  so  close  at  hand, 
created  great  confusion  and  excitement,  not  only  at  the  tavern 
but  throughout  the  town.  A  conflict  between  them  and  the 
Marshal's  posse  was  now  thought  inevitable.  The  inhabitants 
and  strangers  in  the  town  flocked  around  the  scene  of  action  to 
watch  the  course  of  events.  The  Marshal  had  a  force  of  less 
than  twenty  men  to  protect  eighteen  prisoners,  who  were 
merely  placed  in  different  rooms  in  the  tavern,  without  being 
further  restrained  of  their  liberty.  When  the  insurgents  were 
known  to  be  coming,  the  prisoners  were  told  their  friends  were 
at  hand  prepared  to  take  them  away,  but  they  did  not  wish  to 
be  rescued.  The  force  arrived  about  I  o'clock  in  the  day; 
marched  into  the  yard  in  front  of  the  tavern ;  halted,  the 
horsemen  dismounting,  and  the  riflemen  passing  around  the 
house  drew  up  in  the  rear  of  the  horses  and  rested  on  their 
arms.  The  men  kept  well  in  ranks,  and  appeared  to  be  under 
good  control.  The  Marshal  doubled  his  guard  over  the 


64  THE    FRIES    REBELLION. 

prisoners  and  stationed  two  at  the  bottom  and  two  at  the  top 
of  the  stairs,  armed  with  pistols.  Fries  went  into  the  tavern, 
accompanied  by  two  of  his  men,  and  requested  the  sentinel  at 
the  foot  of  the  stairway  to  let  him  go  up  to  see  the  Marshal. 
Word  was  sent  up  to  Colonel  Nichols,  who  came  forward  and 
told  the  guard  to  let  Captain  Fries  pass  up.  When  he  came  to 
the  Marshal,  Fries  informed  him  he  had  come  for  the 
prisoners,  and  demanded  their  release.  The  Marshal  replied 
this  was  out  of  his  power,  but  if  he  were  determined  to  take 
them,  he  must  get  them  the  best  way  he  could.  Soon  after 
Fries  and  his  force  arrived,  Captain  Jarrett  came  up,  and  the 
men  saluted  him  with  cheers.  He  had  been  to  Philadelphia 
to  surrender  himself  and  be  discharged  on  bail,  and  had  just 
returned.  He  had  an  interview  with  the  Marshal  who  re 
quested  him  to  get  the  men  to  withdraw.  This  he  promised 
to  do,  but  he  either  had  no  influence  or  did  not  choose  to 
exercise  it.  He  remained  about  there  some  two  hours,  but 
took  no  steps  to  quell  the  disturbance.  After  the  interview 
with  the  Marshal,  Fries  returned  to  the  guard  and  told  his 
followers  the  result  of  it.  Upon  learning  this  they  became 
quite  violent  and  expressed  a  determination  to  have  the 
prisoners  at  every  risk.  They  abused  Eyerley,  the  com 
missioner,  and  all  who  had  assisted  him,  and  towards  them 
appeared  to  be  more  enraged  than  at  the  Marshal. 

The  insurgents  now  prepared  to  take  the  prisoners  by  force 
if  they  should  not  be  given  up  peaceably.  Fries  told  his  men 
that  four  or  five  sentinels  had  to  be  passed,  and  begged  them 
not  to  fire  until  the  Marshal's  posse  had  fired  upon  them  ;  he 
would  go  on  before  them  a::d  expected  to  get  the  first  blow. 
He  cautioned  them,  a  second  time,  not  to  fire  first,  and 
promised  to  give  the  word  as  soon  as  he  was  fired  upon,  when 
they  must  help  themselves.  He  then  gave  the  command,  and 
his  men  followed  toward  the  tavern.  They  came  on  with  a 
rush  and  succeeded  in  getting  into  the  entry  in  considerable 
numbers,  where  they  were  met  by  the  Marshal's  posse.  A 
struggle  took  place  between  them,  which  resulted  in  the  posse 
clearing  the  entry  of  the  enemy.  Esquire  Horsfield  came 
down  stairs  while  the  contest  was  going  on,  and,  seeing  that 


THE   FRIES   REBELLION.  65 

great  excitement  prevailed,  he  made  his  way  through  the 
crowd  up  stairs  again  to  the  landlord,  Mr.  Levering,7  and  pre 
vailed  upon  him  to  close  the  bar,  as  liquor  stimulated  the  dis 
turbance.  This  repulse  maddened  the  crowd,  and  they  re 
turned  to  the  charge  with  greater  fury  than  before,  yelling  and 
uttering  savage  shrieks.  They  struck  the  butts  of  their  rifles 
on  the  ground,  and  fairly  jumped  with  rage.  They  came  to 
the  door  and  a  number  entered  and  filled  the  hall.  Those 
who  remained  outside  pointed  their  rifles  up  at  the  windows 
to  intimidate,  and  one,  who  entered,  thrust  the  muzzle  of  his 
gun  up  the  stairway,  threatening  to  fire.  They  shouted 
their  determin  ition  to  have  the  prisoners.  These  proceed 
ings  caused  great  consternation  among  the  Marshal's  posse, 
who  began  to  grow  alarmed  for  their  own  safety. 

Philip  Schlaugh  was  so  much  frightened  he  mounted  his 
horse  when  the  second  rush  was  made,  and  rode  for  Easton  as 
fast  as  his  animal  could  carry  him.  Esquire  Horsfield  begged 
the  Marshal  "for  God's  sake"  to  deliver  up  the  prisoners,  and 
worked  his  way  down  stairs  to  be  ready  to  make  his  escape. 
The  Marshal  and  his  friends,  up  stairs  at  this  time  in  charge 
of  the  prisoners,  consulted  with  Judge  Henry  and  others  as 
to  what  was  best  to  be  done.  He  was  advised  to  surrender 
the  prisoners  to  Fries.  This  he  refused  to  do,  but  said  he 
would  march  them  to  Philadelphia,  and  if  the  mob  thought 
proper  to  take  them  from  him,  on  the  way,  it  would  be  their 
act,  not  his,  and  he  told  them  to  prepare  immediately  to  start 
for  the  city.  Several  refused  to  go,  saying  they  would  not 
thus  endanger  their  lives,  but  if  he  would  suffer  them  to  return 
to  their  homes  they  would  meet  him  in  Philadelphia  on  Mon 
day  or  Tuesday  following.  Fries  was  still  demanding  their 
release  and  threats  of  bodily  harm  were  made  against  Eyerley, 
Henry  and  others,  in  case  the  prisoners  were  not  given  up. 
The  Marshal,  considering  the  lives  of  these  gentlemen  in 

7  Abraham  Levering  was  the  landlord  of  the  Sun  tavern  at  the  time  of  the  rescue  of 
the  prisoners,  and  the  fifth  in  succession.  He  was  a  son  of  John  and  Susan  Levering, 
Nazareth,  and  born  December,  1757.  His  wife,  Christiana,  a  daughter  of  Lewis 
Gassier,  Lititz,  was  the  popular  hostess  of  the  tavern  for  nine  years.  Levering  entered 
upon  the  management  June  ist,  1790;  retired  from  the  tavern  in  June,  1799,  and  died 
in  Bethlehem,  1835. 


66  THE   FRIES    REBELLION. 

danger,  rather  than  expose  them  to  injury,  concluded  to  de 
liver  the  prisoners  to  Fries,  and  they  were  released  and  turned 
over  to  him.  In  a  few  minutes  there  was  not  an  armed  man 
on  the  ground,  while  the  people  of  the  town  and  neighbor 
hood,  who  had  collected  as  witnesses  of  the  proceedings,  quietly 
dispersed  and  returned  to  their  homes.  The  contest  was 
bloodless  and  the  insurgents  won. 


fhe 


Rebellion. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

President   Issues   Mis   Proclamation. 

Immediately,  after  the  rescue  of  the  prisoners  at  Bethlehem, 
John  Fries  returned  to  his  home  in  Milford  township,  but 
far  from  satisfied  with  the  part  he  had  taken  in  the  affair.  The 
excitement  having  subsided  and  reflection  assumed  its  wonted 
sway,  he  doubted  the  propriety  of  his  course,  and  began  to 
have  fears  that  he  and  his  friends  had  gone  beyond  legal  resist 
ance.  Like  every  man,  who  places  himself  in  the  wrong,  he 
was  anxious  to  unburden  his  mind  by  talking  with  others  upon 
the  subject,  in  the  hope  of  justifying  his  conduct.  For  this 
purpose  he  went  to  see  John  Jamison,1  an  old  acquaintance, 
two  days  after  the  occurrence,  to  whom  he  gave  a  full  account 
of  the  affair  at  Bethlehem,  and  the  part  he  took  in  it.  He 
threw  the  blame  upon  the  Germans,  who,  he  said,  he  could  do 
nothing  with,  as  they  had  gotten  the  idea  into  their  heads 
General  Washington  was  opposed  to  the  law,  and  therefore 
they  need  not  allow  it  to  be  carried  into  execution. 

An  effort  was  now  made  to  harmonize  matters  so  the  asssess- 
ments  could  be  taken,  thus  putting  an  end  to  the  disturbance 
that  had  so  long  agitated  this  and  neighboring  counties.  It 
was  agreed  among  the  leading  men  in  the  disaffected  districts 
of  Bucks  the  proper  course  would  be  to  meet  and  choose  a 
committee  from  the  three  counties.  For  this  purpose  a  meet 
ing  was  called  at  the  tavern  of  Conrad  Marks,  Monday,  March 
15,  which  some  200  people  attended  from  the  three  counties. 
A  committee  of  four  from  each  county  was  appointed,  with 
authority  to  consider  the  situation,  and  report  what  was  best 
to  be  done  under  the  circumstances.  We  have  not  been  able 

1  John  Jamison  was  a  descendant  of  William  Jamison,  who  settled  in  Richland  town 
ship,  in  the  neighborhood  of  Quakertown  about  1730.  He  was  a  farmer  and  of  no  par 
ticular  prominence. 

(67) 


68  THE   FRIES.  REBELLION. 

to  procure  the  names  of  all  on  the  committee,  but  have  several 
from  this  county;  John  Jamison^  George  Kline,2  Daniel 
Roberts,3  Conrad  Marks,  Dr.  Baker,  a  man  named  Davis  and 
Captain  Jarrett.  They  advised  the  people  to  desist  from 
further  opposition  to  the  assessors  and  other  officers  in  the 
execution  of  their  duties,  and  enjoined  upon  them  to  give  due 
submission  to  the  laws  of  their  country.  This  seemed  to  be 
the  sentiment  of  all  present  at  the  meeting,  and  no  dissent 
was  experienced.  The  people  of  Lower  Milford  were  now  in 
favor  of  having  the  assessments  made,  but,  Mr.  Roberts,  upon 
being  consulted,  was  not  willing  they  should  choose  an  assessor, 
but  if  Mr.  Clark,  who  had  not  yet  given  up  his  commission,  would 
take  the  rates,  it  would  answer  every  purpose.  A  second 
meeting  was  advertised  to  be  held  at  George  Mitchel's  tavern 
on  March  25,  to  take  the  sense  of  the  people  upon  the  subject 
of  permitting  Clark  to  make  the  assessments.  Fries  was  at 
the  meeting  held  at  Conrad  Marks,  and,  as  it  does  not  ap 
pear  he  took  any  part  in  the  proceedings,  he  probably  quietly 
acquiesced  with  others  in  the  peaceable  measures  adopted. 
Upon  this  occasion  he  and  Mitchel  had  some  conversation  on 
the  subject,  when  he  admitted  his  former  resistance  to  the 
law,  a  fact  he  never  denied.  He  now  expressed  a  willingness 
to  give  in  his  submission,  and  allow  the  law  to  be  inforced. 
Apparently  wishing  to  make  some  amends  for  his  former  harsh 
treatment  of  the  officers,  he  told  Jacob  Huber  that  his  house 
should  not  be  assessed  until  he  had  given  the  assessors  a 
dinner,  and  that  if  he  were  not  at  home  when  they  came  his 
son  would  be  there  to  provide  for  them.  With  this  the  op 
position  to  the  law  in  Milford  ended,  and,  from  that  time  for 
ward  to  his  arrest,  there  was  no  better  ordered  citizen  in  the 
county  than  John  Fries.  He  returned  to  his  usual  cccupa- 


2  The  Kline  family  were  sympathizers  with  Fries  in  his  opposition  to  the  house  tax  law, 
and  Jacob  Kline,  Sr.,  and  three  others  of  the  name  were  arrested   for  treason.     Jacob 
Kline  was  present  at  the  meeting  at  Mitchel's  tavern  and  was  then  well  disposed. 

3  Daniel  Roberts  was  a  descendant  of  Edward   Roberts,  who,  with  his   wife,  settled 
near  Quakertown,  1716.     She   was  a  daughter   of  Everard  and  Elizabeth    Bolton,  who 
settled  at  Cheltenham,  Montgomery  county,  1682.     The  ancestry  of  the  Boltons  is  traced 
back  to  the  Lord  of  Bolton,  the  lineal  representative  of  the  Saxon  Earls  of  Murcia.     The 

late  Judge  Roberts,  of  Doylestown,  was  a  descendant  of  Edward  Roberts. 


THE   FRIES   REBELLION.  69 

tion,  vendue  crying,  and,  if  his  present  good  conduct  be  any 
evidence,  he  had  entirely  repented  his  previous  course. 

The  Marshal  kept  Judge  Peters  fully  informed  of  the  opera 
tions  of  the  insurgents,  and  also  of  his  own  movements. 
Immediately  upon  the  rescue  of  the  prisoners  at  Bethlehem 
he  announced  the  fact  to  the  Judge,  who  laid  the  matter  be 
fore  the  Federal  authorities  without  delay.  Upon  being  thus 
officially  informed  of  the  truth  of  what  had  heretofore  reached 
him  in  the  shape  of  rumors,  although  pretty  well  authenticated, 
the  President  called  his  cabinent  together  to  deliberate  upon 
the  steps  to  be  taken  in  relation  thereto.  They  were  now 
fully  cognizant  of  the  resistance  that  had  been  offered  to  the 
law,  and  was  satisfied  it  could  not  be  executed  in  the  disaffected 
districts  unless  the  opposition  should  end.  It  w^as  now  de 
termined  the  President  should  issue  his  proclamation,  and  en 
deavor,  by  this  mild  means,  to  call  the  deluded  disturbers  of 
the  peace  back  to  their  duty,  before  a  resort  was  had  to  harsher 
measures.  For  this  purpose  he  caused  to  be  issued,  from  the 
seat  of  government  at  Philadelphia  on  March  12,  1/99,  the  •' 
following : 

By  tJie  President  of  tlie  United  States  of  America  : 
PROCLAMATION. 

WHEREAS,  combinations,  to  defeat  the  execution  of  the  laws 
for  the  valuation  of  lands  and  dwelling  houses  within  the 
United  States,  have  existed  within  the  counties  of  Northamp 
ton,  Montgomery  and  Bucks,  in  the  State  of  Pennsylvania, 
have  proceeded  in  a  manner  subversive  of  the  just  authority 
of  the  government,  by  misrepresentations  to  render  the  laws 
odious,  by  deterring  the  officers  of  the  United  States  to  for 
bear  the  execution  of  their  functions,  and  by  openly  threaten 
ing  their  lives.  And,  whereas,  the  endeavors  of  the  well- 
effected  citizens,  as  well  as  of  the  executive  officers  to  con 
ciliate  compliance  with  these  laws,  have  failed  of  success,  and 
certain  persons  in  the  county  of  Northampton,  aforesaid,  have 
been  hardy  enough  to  perpetrate  certain  acts,  which,  I  am 
advised,  amount  to  treason,  being  overt  acts  of  levying  war 
against  the  United  States,  the  said  persons  exceeding  one 


70  THE   FRIES    REBELLION. 

hundred  in  number,  and  armed  and  arrayed  in  warlike  manner, 
having,  on  the  seventh  day  of  the  present  month  of  March, 
proceeded  to  the  house  of  Abraham  Levering,  in  the  town  of 
Bethlehem,  and  there  compelled  William  Nichols,  Marshal  of 
the  United  States,  for  the  District  of  Pennsylvania,  to  desist 
from  the  execution  of  certain  legal  processes  in  his  hands  to 
be  executed,  and  having  compelled  him  to  discharge  and  set 
at  liberty,  certain  persons  whom  he  had  arrested  by  virtue  of 
a  criminal  process,  duly  issued  for  offenses  against  the  United 
States,  and  having  impeded  and  prevented  the  commissioners 
and  assessor,  in  conformity  with  the  laws  aforesaid,  in  the 
county  of  Northampton,  aforesaid,  by  threats  of  personal 
injury,  from  executing  the  said  laws,  avowing,  as  the  motive  of 
these  illegal  and  treasonable  proceedings,  an  intention  to 
prevent,  by  force  of  arms,  the  execution  of  the  said  laws,  and 
to  withstand,  by  open  violence,  the  lawful  authority  of  the 
United  States.  And,  whereas,  by  the  Constitution  and  laws 
of  the  United  States,  I  am  authorized,  whenever  the  laws  of 
the  United  States  shall  be  opposed,  or  the  execution  thereof 
obstructed  in  any  State,  by  combinations  too  powerful  to  be 
suppressed  by  the  ordinary  course  of  judicial  proceedings,  or 
by  powers,  vested  in  the  Marshal,  to  call  forth  military  force 
to  supress  such  combinations,  and  to  cause  the  laws  to  be  duly 
executed,  and  I  have  accordingly  determined  so  to  do,  under 
the  solemn  conviction  that  the  essential  interests  of  the  United 
States  demand  it. 

Therefore,  I,  John  Adams,  President  of  the  United  States, 
do  hereby  command  all  persons,  being  insurgents  as  aforesaid, 
and  all  others  whom  it  may  concern,  on  or  before  Monday 
next,  being  the  eighteenth  day  of  the  present  month,  to  dis 
perse  and  retire  peaceably  to  their  respective  abodes  :  and  I 
do,  moreover,  warn  all  persons  whomsoever,  against  aiding, 
abetting  or  comforting  the  perpetrators  of  the  aforesaid  treason 
able  acts,  and  I  do  require  all  officers  and  others,  good  and 
faithful  citizens,  according  to  their  respective  duties  and  laws 
of  the  land,  to  exert  their  utmost  endeavors  to  prevent  and 
suppress,  such  dangerous  and  unlawful  proceedings. 

In  testimony  thereof,  I  have  caused  the  Seal  of  the  United 


THE   FRIES    REBELLION.  71 

States  of  America  to  be  affixed  to  these  presents,  and  signed 
the  same  with  my  hand.  Done  at  the  city  of  Philadelphia, 
the  twelfth  day  of  March,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord,  1799,  and 
of  the  Independence  of  the  said  United  States  of  America, 
the  twenty-third. 

By  the  President : 

(Signed)  JOHN  ADAMS. 

(Signed)  TIMOTHY    PICKERING, 

Secretary  of  State. 

The  proclamation  reached  Milford  township,  on  the  fifteenth 
of  March.  Its  appearance  created  a  good  deal  of  excitement 
and  talk  among  the  people,  who  were  now  convinced  the 
government  was  disposed  to  treat  the  late  disturbance  with 
more  seriousness  than  the  participators  in  it  had  believed.  It 
was  reported  to  the  meeting  at  Conrad  Marks,  on  the  eigh 
teenth,  where  it  became  the  subject  of  discussion  and  conver 
sation.  On  the  evening  of  the  day,  it  first  made  its  appear 
ance  in  the  township,  George  Mitchel  carried  a  copy  down  to 
Frederick  Heaney's,  to  whom  he  read  it,  who  agreed  to  sub 
mit  to  it;  and  he  made  no  further  opposition.  Soon  after 
the  appearance  of  the  proclamation,  a  statement  of  the  part 
John  Fries  had  taken  in  opposing  the  law  was  published  in 
the  newspapers;  Israel  Roberts  carried  a  copy  to  him  to  read 
what  was  said  of  him.  The  account  of  his  conduct,  as 
published,  seemed  to  affect  him  greatly;  and,  upon  being 
questioned,  he  admitted  he  had  never  before  considered  the 
matter  in  such  serious  light  as  he  had  within  a  few  days.  He 
said  he  had  not  slept  half  an  hour  for  three  or  four  nights,  and 
that  he  would  give  all  he  was  worth  in  the  world  if  the  matter 
were  settled  and  he  clear  of  it.  He  expressed  a  willingness 
to  surrender  himself  if  the  government  would  send  for  him. 

The  meeting  advertised  at  George  Mitchel's  tavern,  on 
March  twenty-five,  was  held  at  that  time.  About  forty 
persons  were  present,  among  them,  John  Fries  and  Frederick 
Heaney.  It  was  agreed  that  Clark  should  make  the  asse- 
ments.  Neither  Fries  nor  Heaney  voted  upon  the  question, 
but  both  expressed  a  willingness  that  others  should  do  so,  and, 


72  THE    FRIES    REBELLION. 

in  fact,  hoped  they  might  vote  for  him.  They  seemed  to 
yield  entire  obedience  to  the  authorities,  and  appeared  sensi 
ble  of  their  previous  misconduct.  In  Northampton  county, 
the  reception  of  the  President's  proclamation  had  the  same 
good  effect  as  in  Bucks,  and  almost  wholly  quieted  the  dis 
turbance.  But  little  opposition  to  the  law  took  place  after 
that  date,  the  most  serious  being  the  attack  on  Mr.  Balliott,  a 
collector.  He  was  waylaid  upon  his  return  from  Bethlehem, 
whether  he  had  been  on  business,  and  so  severely  beaten  a 
physician  was  brought  from  that  place  to  attend  him.  His 
injuries,  however,  proved  not  to  be, very  serious,  and  he  soon 
recovered.  About  the  same  time  Henry  Artman,  Adam 
Stephen  and  Henry  Shankwyler,  of  Millarstown,  went  to 
Philadelphia,  and  surrendered  themselves  to  the  Federal 
authorities,  and  entered  into  bail  before  Judge  Peters  for 
their  appearance.  These  men  were  among  the  most  violent 
opposers  of  the  law  in  Northampton  county.  The  opposition 
to  the  law  had  the  effect  of  causing  a  repeal  of  the  provisions 
of  the  house  tax,  requiring  a  statement  of  the  windows  of 
each  dwelling,  at  the  sessions  of  1798-99,  and  before  the  most 
serious  disturbances  had  taken  place. 

The  reader,  no  doubt,  will  be  as  much  astonished  as  the 
writer,  at  the  course  of  the  government  after  this  period. 
From  and  after  March  25  John  Fries  and  his  aiders  and  abet 
tors  gave  their  entire  submission  to  the  authorities,  and  com 
ported  themselves  as  quietly  and  orderly  as  the  best  citizens. 
They  allowed  their  property  to  be  assessed,  and  acquiesced  in 
the  law  being  carried  into  execution.  Under  all  the  circum 
stances  it  does  not  appear  that  the  extreme  measures  after 
wards  pursued  were  called  for,  but  that  a  lenient  government, 
such  as  ours  professes  to  be,  should  have  overlooked  the 
faults  and  even  offenses  of  the  past,  in  consideration  that  a 
very  obnoxious  law,  and  at  best  of  questionable  propriety,  was 
allowed  to  go  into  full  force  and  effect.  The  pursuing  of 
Fries,  in  this  view  of  the  case,  had  the  appearance  of  perse 
cution,  which  created  greater  sympathy,  in  his  behalf,  than 
would  otherwise  have  been  extended  to  him. 


THE   FRIES   REBELLION.  73 

The  President's  proclamation  gave  the  proceedings  of  the 
insurgents,  in  Bucks  and  Northampton,  an  importance  they 
otherwise  would  not  have  received  ;  and,  from  this  time  for 
ward  to  the  conclusion  of  the  "  Rebellion,"  it  was  a  National 
affair,  and  attracted  the  attention  of  all  sections  of  the 
Union.  Many  expected  to  see  another  "  Western  Insurrec 
tion"  or  a  "  Shay's  Rebellion,"  with  a  more  disastrous  termi 
nation.  The  timid  friends  of  republican  government  were 
alarmed  lest  this  disturbance  might  be  a  rock  on  which  the 
ship  of  State  would  founder  and  go  to  pieces,  while  the 
enemies  of  our  institutions  predicted  such  would  be  the  re 
sult,  and  appeared  delighted  at  the  prospective  overthrow  of 
the  government. 

The  President  caused  his  proclamation  to  be  immediately 
sent  to  the  Governor  of  Pennsylvania,  then  in  Philadelphia 
attending  upon  the  session  of  the  Legislature,  and  Governor 
Mifflin4  transmitted  a  copy  to  the  Assembly,  accompanied  by 
the  following  message  : 

Message  of  the  Governor  of  Pennsylvania,  to  the  Two  Houses  of 
Assembly  : 

GENTLEMEN: — It  is  announced,  by  proclamation  issued  by 
th^e  President  of  the  United  States,  dated  the  I2th  inst.,  that 
combinations,  to  defeat  the  execution  of  the  laws  for  the 
valuation  of  lands  and  dwelling  houses  within  the  United 
States,  have  existed  in  the  counties  of  Northampton,  Mont 
gomery  and  Bucks,  in  the  State  of  Pennsylvania  :  That  in  the 
judgment  of  the  President  it  is  necessary  to  call  for  the  mili 
tary  force,  in  order  to  suppress  the  combinations  aforesaid, 
and  cause  the  laws  aforesaid  to  be  duly  executed  ;  and  that 
the  President  has  accordingly  determined  to  do  so,  under  the 


4  Thomas  Mifflin  was  born  in  Philadelphia,  1744,  of  Quaker  parentage,  and  brought 
up  to  mercantile  pursuits.  When  the  war  for  independence  broke  out,  Congress  ap 
pointed  and  commissioned  him  a  Brigadier-General  and  he  was  given  command  of  the 
Pennsylvania  troops.  He  served  with  great  credit  in  various  positions,  among  which 
was  Quartermaster-General.  He  was  elected  a  member  of  Congress,  1783,  and  made 
Speaker.  In  this  capacity  he  acted  during  the  closing  scenes  of  the  Revolution  and  re 
ceived  back  the  commission  of  Washington  when  he  formally  tendered  his  resignation. 
He  was  elected  Governor  of  Pennsylvania,  1790,  the  first  under  the  new  Constitution, 
and  served  three  terms,  nine  years.  He  died  at  Lancaster,  January  21,  1800. 


74  THE    FRIES    REBELLION. 

solemn   conviction  that   the   essential   interest  of   the   United 
States  demands  it. 

That  I  have  received  no  communication  from  the  President 
on  this  important  occasion,  yet  it  is  my  duty,  as  Executive 
Magistrate  of  Pennsylvania,  to  call  your  attention  to  the  sub 
ject,  that  if  any  means  ought  to  be  taken  on  the  part  of  the 
State  to  co-operate  with  the  Federal  government,  they  may 
be  devised  and  authorized  by  the  Legislature. 

(Signed)  THOMAS  MIFFLIN. 

Philadelphia^  March  /</,  //<?£. 

The  matter  was  referred  to  a  committee  of  the  House, 
which  made  report  condemning  the  disturbance  in  the  strong 
est  terms,  but  proceeded  to  say,  that  as  the  President  had 
taken  proper  steps  to  quell  the  insurrection,  they  did  not 
deem  it  necessary  for  the  State  to  take  any  action  in  the  mat 
ter  ;  but  whenever  it  should  become  necessary  to  co-operate 
with  the  general  government  they  would  do  so  cheerfully.  To 
the  report  was  addeded  the  following  resolution,  but  was 
stricken  out  on  its  passage  : 

Resolved,  "  That  the  Governor  be,  and  is  hereby  requested 
to  cause  full  and  due  inquiry  into  the  causes  of  the  said  riots, 
to  be  made,  and  to  make  special  report  to  this  House  there 
upon,  and  particularly  of  any  circumstances  which  may  be  al 
leged,  or  discovered,  tending  to  show  the  origin  of  the  same 
agency  of  foreign  incendiaries,  in  the  seditions  views  of  do 
mestic  traitors." 


J*rie|    Rebellion, 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

TFroops  Called   Out  to  Suppress  tl\e 

While  the  Legislature  took  no  further  action  concerning 
the  house  tax  troubles,  the  Representatives  from  Northamp 
ton  county  issued  an  address  to  the  people  of  the  State,  in 
which  they  say  that,  on  a  recent  visit  to  their  constituency, 
they  found  nothing  that  "  looks  like  an  insurrection."  They 
were  highly  indignant  at  the  course  of  the  Federal  govern 
ment,  as  were  the  people  of  the  State,  generally.  There  was 
now  a  change  of  policy  ;  the  "  Fries  Rebellion"  was  relegated 
to  the  military  arm  for  treatment. 

On  March  20  the  Secretary  of  War  made  the  following 
requisition,  on  Governor  Mifflin,  for  militia  to  assist  in  quell 
ing  the  insurrection  : 

WAR  DEPARTMENT,  March  20,  1799. 

Sir : — To  suppress  the  insurrection  now  existing  in  the 
counties  of  Northampton,  Bucks  and  Montgomery,  in  the 
State  of  Pennsylvania,  in  opposition  to  the  laws  of  the  United 
States,  the  President  has  thought  it  best  to  employ  a  military 
force,  to  be  composed,  in  part,  of  such  of  the  militia  of  Penn 
sylvania  whose  situation  and  state  of  preparation  will  enable 
them  to  march  with  promptitude.  As  the  corps  of  militia 
first  desired  on  this  occasion  are  the  troops  of  cavalry  belong 
ing  to  this  city,  and  one  troop  from  each  of  the  counties  of 
Philadelphia,  Bucks,  Chester,  Montgomery  and  Lancaster, 
these  troops  I  have  the  honor  to  request  your  Excellency  will 
order  to  hold  themselves  in  readiness  to  march,  on,  or  before, 

(75) 


/  THE   FRIES   REBELLION.       ' 

the  28th    instant,   under  the   command  of   Brigadier-General 
Macpherson.1 

I  have  the  honor  to  be,  with  the  greatest  respect,  your  Ex 
cellency's  most  obedient  servant. 

(Signed)  JAMES  McHENRY.2 

His  Excellency,  THOMAS  MIFFLIN. 

Upon  the  receipt  of  the  Secretary  of  War's  communication, 
Governor  Mifflin  addressed  the  following  letter  to  the  Ad 
jutant-General  of  the  State,  directing  him  to  issue  general 
orders  for  complying  with  the  President's  request  : 

"PHILADELPHIA,  March  20,  1799,  3  o'clock,  p.  m." 

"Sir: — The  Secretary  of  War,  has  this  moment  com 
municated  to  me,  the  President's  intention  to  employ  a  mili 
tary  force,  in  suppressing  the  insurrection  now  existing  in  the 
counties  of  Northampton,  Bucks  and  Montgomery,  with  a  re 
quest  that  the  Troops  of  Cavalry,  belonging  to  this  city,  and 
a  troop  from  each  of  the  counties  of  Philadelphia,  Bucks, 
Chester,  Montgomery  and  Lancaster,  may  be  ordered  to  hold 
themselves  in  readiness  to  march  on,  or  before,  the  28th 
instant,  under  the  command  of  Brigadier-General  Macpherson. 

"  You  will,  therefore,  issue  general  orders  for  complying 
with  the  President's  request ;  and  communicate  by  express 
with  the  commanding  officers  of  the  several  corps.  As  soon 
as  the  troops  are  ready  to  march  you  will  make  your  report  to 
me,  sending  the  returns  of  the  officers  from  time  to  time  as 
you  receive  them."  I  am,  sir, 

Your  most  obedient  Servant, 

(Signed)  THOMAS  MIFFLIN. 

To  PETER  BAYNTON,'  ESQ., 

Adjutant  General  of  Militia  of  Pennsylvania. 

1  William   Macpherson,  the   son  of  Captain  John  Macpherson,  Philadelphia,  was   an 
officer  in  the  i6th  British  foot.     At  the  first  opportunity   he  sold  out  his  commission  and 
succeeded  in  escaping  from  the  British  lines  to  Philadelphia,  where  he  offered  his  services 
to  the  Board  of  War.     He  was  commissioned    a  major  in  the  Pennsylvania  line.      His 
brother  John,  a  Captain,  fell  at  Quebec. 

2  James  McHenry,  Secretary  of  War,  from  179610  1800,  was  born   in   Maryland,  1753, 
and  died  in  Baltimore,  May   8,  1819.     He  served  in  the  Revolution   as  aide-de-camp  of 
Lafayette;  was  a   delegate   from    Maryland   to  the   Continental    Congress,    1783-86;  a 
member  of  the  Convention  that  formed  the  Federal  Constitution,  1787,  ar.d  appointed 
Secretary  of  War  by  Mr.  Adams. 

3  The  records  show  that  Peter  Baynton  was  appointed  Adjutant-General   of  Pennsyl 
vania,  February  27,  1799,  and  vacated  the  office  May  i,  i8co.   WTe  have  r.ot  been  able  to 
find  any  further  mention  of  him. 


THE   FRIES   REBELLION.  77 

In  obedience  to  the  order  of  his  immediate  Commander-in- 
Chief,  Adjutant-General  Baynton  issued  orders  calling  into 
service  a  portion  of  the  militia  of  the  State,  as  follows: 

"  GENERAL   ORDERS." 

"PHILADELPHIA,  March  20,  1799." 

"The  following  corps  of  cavalry  are  to  hold  themselves  in 
readiness  to  march  on,  or  before,  the  28th  instant : 

"  Captain  Dunlap's,  Captain  Singer's,  Captain  MorrelTs, 
Captain  Leeper's,  of  the  city  of  Philadelphia  ;  Captain  Lesh- 
cr's,  of  the  county  of  Philadelphia  ;  Captain  Sims',4  of  the 
county  of  Bucks  ;  Captain  Taylor's,  of  the  county  of  Ches 
ter ;  Captain  Montgomery's,  of  the  county  of  Lancaster,  and 
Captain  Kennedy's,  of  the  county  of  Montgomery. 

"  Officers  commanding  the  above  troops  of  Cavalry  will 
make  report  to  the  Adjutant-General  as  soon  as  their  respec 
tive  corps  are  ready  to  march." 

•  "  By  order  of  the  Commander-in-Chief." 
(Signed)  "  PETER  BAYNTON," 

"Adjutant-General  of  the  Militia  of  Pennsylvania." 

Of  the  quota  of  troops  called  for,  one  company  of  cavalry 
was  taken  from  Bucks  and  another  from  Montgomery,  but 
Northampton  was  so  far  gone  in  rebellion  her  militia  were 
not  thought  reliable,  and  none  were  takjn  from  that  county. 
The  President  designated  William  Macpherson  as  command 
er  of  the  troops  about  to  make  the  expedition  into  Bucks  and 
Northampton,  and,  to  give  him  sufficient  rank,  he  was  ap- 


4  Walter  Sims  bought  the  China  Retreat  property,  361  acres,  1798.  This  was  a 
famous  place  in  its  day,  on  the  west  bank  of  the  Delaware  three  miles  below  Bristol.  In 
1787  the  farm  belonged  to  one  Benger,  an  Irish  sporting  gentleman,  who  imported  the 
famous  horse  Messenger.  He  sold  it  to  one  Van  Braam  Honchgust,  the  Dutch  Governor 
of  an  East  India  island,  who  erected  an  elegant  mansion  upon  it,  and  named  it  "China 
Retreat."  From  him  it  passed  to  Captain  Sims.  Captain  John  Green,  son-in-law  of 
Captain  Sims,  was  the  first  American  sea  captain  to  carry  crur  flag  to  China.  He  died, 
in  1797.  In  1833  an  additional  building  was  erected  and  a  school  established  there  called 
"  Bristol  College,  "but  lived  only  a  few  years.  The  buildings  were  used  as  an  hospital  dur 
ing  the  War  of  the  Rebellion,  and  afterward  a  State  school  for  the  education  of  colored 
soldiers'  orphans,  was  opened  there.  Captain  Alden  Partridge  established  a  military 
school  at  China  Retreat  about  1842-3,  which  was  kep  up  for  a  few  years. 


78  THE   FRIES   REBELLION. 

pointed  a  Brigadier-General  in  the  United  States  army  on 
March  18.  At  the  time  he  held  the  same  commission  in  the 
militia  of  Pennsylvania,  which  he  resigned  on  the  22d,  so  as 
to  accept  the  new  honors  that  awaited  him.  General  Mac- 
pherson  resided  in  Philadelphia,  and,  after  the  Revolution 
raised  and  commanded  a  celebrated  volunteer  corps  known  as 
the  "  Macpherson  Blues,"  which,  in  its  day,  was  the  best 
drilled  corps  of  citizen  soldiery  in  the  country.  The  troop  of 
cavalry  ordered  out  from  Bucks  belonged  to  the  lower  end  of 
the  county,  and  commanded  by  Captain  Walter  Sims.  He 
was  preparing  to  leave  the  country  when  the  order  of  the 
Adjutant-General  was  issued,  and,  the  next  day,  tendered  his 
resignation  as  captain.  The  letter  was  addressed  to  the  first 
lieutenant,  William  Rodman,6  and  answered  on  the  23d,  in  the 
name  of  the  company.  As  we  have  not  found  any  evidence  of 
an  election  to  fill  the  vacancy  of  Captain  Sims  being  held  be 
fore  the  troop  marched,  it  probably  went  out  under  Lieutenant 
Rodman.  General  Macpherson  subsequently  ordered  out  a 
company  of  cavalry  from  Cumberland  county. 

Not  considering  the  militia  called  out  sufficient  to  quell  the 
disturbance,  the  War  Department  ordered  all  the  regulars 
that  could  be  spared  from  other  service  to  join  them.  The 
number  was  about  500,  and  they  were  ordered  to  rendezvous 
at  Newtown'  and  Bristol7  and  from  there  proceed  to  the  seat 
of  war.  Two  companies  left  New  York,  March  17,  for  Bris 
tol,  there  to  await  the  arrival  of  other  troops;  a  detachment, 


5  William  Rodman,  grandson  of  Dr.  John  Rodman,  who  settled  at  Burlington,  N.  J., 
early  in  the  last  century,  was  born  in  Bensalem  township,  Bucks  county,  1757.  He  was  a 
patriot  in  the  Revolution ;  a  member  of  the  State  Senate,  and  was  elected  to  Congress 
in  1812,  serving  two  terms.  The  late  Mrs.  John  Fox,  of  Doy  lest  own,  was  his  niece, 
daughter  of  his  Brother  Gilbert. 

«  Newtown,  the  county  seat  of  Bucks  county  from  1725  to  1813,  is  situated  in  a  delight 
ful  country,  six  miles  from  the  Delaware  and  twenty-five  from  Philadelphia.  The  popu 
lation  is  about  1500.  It  was  to  this  place  Washington  brought  the  captured  Hessians 
from  Trenton,  December  26;  1776. 

7  Bristol  is  on  the  west  bank  of  the  Delaware,  opposite  Burlington,  N.  J.,  twenty 
miles  above  Philadelphia.  It  was  made  the  county  seat  of  Bucks  in  1705,  and  so  re 
mained  until  its  removal  to  Newtown  in  1725.  It  is  the  only  sea-port  in  the  county. 
Population,  5000. 


THE   FRIES   REBELLION  79 

under  Captain  John  Henry8  reached  Trenton8  from  New 
York  on  the  23d;  encamped  there  over  night,  and  marched  to 
Newtown  the  next  morning,  there  to  await  further  orders. 
On  the  2ist  a  detachment  of  artillery,  under  Lieutenant 
Woolstencroft10  passed  through  Harrisburg  from  Reading:  on 
the  2/th  Captain  Irvine's11  artillery  marched  from  Carlisle;13 
and,  on  the  3Oth,  a  company,  commanded  by  Captain  Shoe 
maker,13  sixty  strong,  passed  through  Lancaster14,  all  for  the 

8  John    Henry,  Pennsylvania,    was   appointed   captain  of   artilleryists   and   engineers 
June  i,  1798,  and  resigned  December  31,  1801. 

9  Trenton,  the  capital*of  New  Jersey,  is  at  the  head  of  tide  water  on  the  Delaware.     It 
was   founded   by   William  Trent,  a  successful   merchant  of    Philadelphia,  about    1715. 
Trent  died  in  1724.     The  town  increased  rapidly.     It  was  made  a  borough  in  1746,  and 
a  post  office  established  as  early  as  1734.     This  was  the  scene  of  the  capture  of  thfe   Hes 
sians  by  Washington,  the  turning  of  the  tide  in    Revolutionary  affairs.     The   population 
of  Trenton  is  about  75,000  and  it  is  the  seat  of  extensive  and  valuable  manufactures. 

10  Charles  Woolstencroft,  of  Pennsylvania,  was  appointed  lieutenant  2d  artillerists  and 
engineers   June   4,  1798  ;  in   regiment   of   artillerists    April    i,  1802  ;  promoted  captain 
March  15,  1805  ;  transferred  to  corps  of   artillery  May   12,  1814,  and  died  September  28, 
1817.     He  received  the  brevet  rank  of  major  March  15,  1815,  for  10  years'  faithful  service 
in  one  grade. 

11  Callender  Irvine,  of  Pennsylvania,  was  appointed  captain   2d  artillerists  and   engin 
eers  June   i,  1798,  and   resigned  May   20,    1801 ;  appointed   superintendent   of   military 
stores  October  24,  1804  ;  appointed  commissary  general  of   purchases  August  8,  1812,  and 
died  October  9,  1841,  at  Philadelphia,  Penna. 

13  Carlisle,  the  county  seat  of  Cumberland,  was  laid  out  in  1701,  and  a  survey  of  the 
town  and  adjacent  lands  made  in  1702.  It  was  so  named  from  Carlisle,  in  Cumberland 
county,  England.  In  1753  it  contained  but  five  dwellings.  It  was  the  seat  of  a  govern 
ment  cavalry  school  for  many  years;  the  barracks  being  built  in  1777  by  the  Hessians 
captured  at  Trenton  were  burnt  down  by  Lees  forces  when  they  invaded  the  Cum 
berland  Valley  in  June,  1863.  Dickinson's  College,  chartered  by  the  Legislature,  1783, 
is  located  at  Carlisle.  Few  sections  of  the  State  are  richer  in  historic  incidents. 

13  Peter   Shoemaker,  of   Pennsylvania,  was   appointed   ensign,  2d  infantry,  April    n, 
1792  ;  in   2d   sub-legion,    September  4,    1792;  ist  lieutenant,   March   3,    1793;  captain, 
March  3,  1799;  honorably  discharged  June  29,  1800. 

14  The  city  of  Lancaster,  the  capital  of  the  county  of   the  same  name,  is  on   the  Penn 
sylvania  railroad,  between  Philadelphia  and   Harrisburg,  sixty  miles  from  the  latter.     It 
was  laid  out  by  Governor   Hamilton,  1730  ;  became   the  seat  of  justice  in   1734,  and  was 
incorporated,  1742.     It  was  an   important   place  in   Revolutionary  times.     Congress  re 
paired  there  in  September,  1777,  and  thence  removed  to  York.     It  is  the  seat  of  Franklin 
and  Marshal  College.     Lancaster  is  in  the  heart  of  one  of  the  very  finest   agricultural  re 
gions  in  the  country,  and  for  a  long  time  enjoyed  the  reputation  of  being  the   largest  in 
land  town  in  the  United  States.     It  contains   many  industries.     Lancaster  was   the  capi 
tal  of  the  State   for  some   time,  and   the  seat   of  government   was   removed  to  Harris 
burg,  1812. 


80  THE   FRIES   REBELLION. 

same  destination.  The  President  also  made  requisition  on  the 
executive  of  New  Jersey  for  two  thousand  militia,  to  hold 
themselves  in  readiness  to  march.  Of  this  force  the  eight 
troops  of  cavalry  were  to  be  prepared  to  march  at  a  moment's 
notice.  The  order  provides  that,  "Those  who  shall  be  warned 
for  duty  in  consequence  of  these  orders  are  to  take  care  that 
their  swords  be  not  loose,  but  well  riveted  in  their  belts,  that 
their  blades  be  sharp  and  bright,  their  pistols  clean,  and  in 
good  order  for  videt  duty  ;  their  horses  at  all  times  well  shod, 
fed,  and  gently  exercised,  their  saddles  and  valise  pads  well 
stuffed,  and  their  girths  and  breast  plates  sufficiently  strong." 
This  order  was  issued  on  March  22.  As  Governor  Mifflin  was 
an  old  soldier  he  understood  the  importance  of  minute  direc 
tions  on  such  occasion.  At  a  meeting  of  Captain  Mosher's 
company  of  infantry,  at  Lancaster,  it  was  resolved  they  were 
ready  to  march  at  a  moment's  warning  for  the  support  of  gov 
ernment.  The  Daily  Advertiser,  of  March  30,  says  that 
various  detachments  of  regular  troops  are  already  on  the 
march  for  Northampton,  which  will,  it  is  supposed,  form  a 
body  of  about  500  men. 

The  time  for  the  marching  of  the  force  from  Philadelphia 
under  the  immediate  command  of  General  Macpherson,  was 
fixed  for  April  3,  and  on  the  first  instant  the  following  orders 
were  issued  : 

"  GENERAL    ORDERS." 

The  troops,  which  are  under  orders  to  march  on  Wednes 
day,  the  3d  instant,  will  assemble  on  their  own  parades  pre 
cisely  at  8  o'clock,  a.  m.,  on  that  day,  in  a  complete  state  of 
preparation  to  take  up  the  line  of  march. 

"  The  different  commanding  officers  will  receive  their  in 
structions  as  to  the  route,  &c.,  on  Tuesday  morning  at  10 
o'clock,  for  which  purpose  they  will  attend  at  my  quarters. 
Lieutenant  John  Williams,  of  the  2d  troop  of  cavalry,  of  the 
Blues,  is  appointed  aide-de-camp,  and  is  to  be  respected  ac 
cordingly."  (Signed)  WILLIAM  MACPHERSON, 
Philadelphia,  April  /,  //pp.  Brigadier-General. 


THE   FRIES    REBELLION.  Bl 

For  some  reason,  not  explained,  the  march  of  the  troops 
was  delayed  until  Thursday,  April  4,  at  8  o'clock,  a.  m.,  to 
which  effect  orders  were  issued  on  the  2d.  The  command  was 
to  rendezvous  on  the  evening  of  that  day  at  the  Spring  House 
tavern,  on  the  Ridge  Road,  sixteen  miles  from  Philadelphia, 
whence  they  were  to  march  for  the  disaffected  districts. 

Despite  the  orders  to  march  on  the  4th,  the  entire  force  did 
not  leave  on  that  day.  One  company  of  United  States  Ar 
tillery,  commanded  by  Captain  Elliott,1*  left  the  city  on  the  3d, 
the  day  first  named,  and,  on  Friday,  the  5th,  two  troops  of 
volunteer  cavalry,  and  the  four  city  troops  of  horse,  got  off, 
but  the  main  body,  under  command  of  General  Macpherson 
in  person,  left  the  morning  of  the  4th.  They  assembled  at 
their  quarters  at  an  early  hour;  thence  proceeded  to  the 
place  of  general  rendezvous,  and  took  up  the  march  amid  the 
shouts  of  the  populace.  As  they  passed  through  the  city  to 
the  sounds  of  martial  music,  with  flying  colors,  and  "decked 
in  all  the  pomp,  pride  and  circumstance  of  glorious  war,"  they 
created  a  great  sensation.  The  streets  were  lined  with  citizens 
who  had  turned  out  to  witness  the  display  ;  and  while  the  men 
whirled  their  hats  and  shouted  their  huzzas,  the  ladies  waved 
their  handkerchiefs  and  otherwise  manifested  their  admira 
tion  of  the  glittering  pageant.  But  once  since  the  close  of  the 
war  of  Independence  had  so  large  a  body  of  troops  been 
called  together  in  this  section  of  the  Union,  and,  upon  this 
occasion,  the  number,  as  well  as  the  nature  of  their  service, 
caused  the  display  to  receive  more  than  usual  eclat.  Passing 
out  of  the  city  the  troops  struck  the  Ridge  Road,1'  along 
which  they  marched  to  the  Spring  House,  Montgomery 
county,  where  they  made  their  camp  the  same  evening. 

As  they  marched  through  the  country,  the  people  flocked  to 

1S  Joseph  Elliott,  South  Carolina,  was  appointed  Lieutenant  of  Artillery,  March  14, 
1792;  transferred  to  ist  artillery  and  engineers,  May  9,  1794;  promoted  captain  July 
19,  1796,  and  resigned  December  29,  1800, 

"  The  Ridge  Road  opened  about  1700-1701,  was  one  of  the  early  roads  leading  from 
the  Whitemarsh  district  to  Philadelphia.  In  "  Watson's  Annals"  I  find  this  mention  of 
it:  "William  Harmer,  John  Fisher,  Daniel  Howell,  Edward  Burch,  Thomas  Rutter  and 
Nicholas  Scull  applied  (to  Colonial  Council)  for  a  road  from  the  limekilns  for  carting  of 
lime  to  Philadelphia,  extending  from  the  '  kilns  into  Plymouth  road  near  Bressoon.'  This 
was  the  beginning  of  this  road.  The  recent  History  of  Montgomery  county  says  :  "  We 


82  THE   FRIES    REBELLION. 

the  highways  to  gaze  at  the  "  Federal  Army,"  as  they  called 
it,  but,  as  the  expedition  was  disapproved,  they  received  but 
few  marks  of  approbation  in  the  rural  districts. 

Headquarters  was  still  at  the  Spring  House  on  the  Qth,  on 
which  day  General  Macpherson  issued  an  address  to  the  in 
habitants  of  the  disaffected  districts.  It  was  published  in 
German,  and  the  object  appears  to  have  been  to  call  the  peo 
ple  back  to  their  duty;  but  inasmuch  as  they  had  ceased  their 
opposition  to  the  law  some  time  before,  and  quietly  submit- 
ed  to  its  provisions,  the  address  was  uncalled  for  and  without 
effect.  The  advent  of  the  troops  had  a  tendency  to  irritate 
any  existing  soreness  in  the  public  mind,  instead  of  allaying 
it,  and  therefore  did  harm  instead  of  good.  The  following  is 
the  address  : 

"  William  Macpherson,  Brigadier-General"  of  the  armies  of 
the  United  States,  commander  of  the  troops  ordered  to  act 
against  the  insurgents  of  the  counties  of  Northampton,  Mont 
gomery  and  Bucks,  in  the  State  of  Pennsylvania,  to  the  peo 
ple  of  the  aforesaid  counties: 

FELLOW  CITIZENS: — "Being  ordered  by  the  President  of 
the  United  States  to  employ  the  troops  under  my  command, 
or,  according  to  circumstances,  further  military  force  to  pro 
cure  submission  to  the  laws  of  the  United  States,  and  to  sup 
press  and  disperse  all  unlawful  combinations,  which  have  been 
made  to  obstruct  the  execution  of  the  aforesaid  laws,  or  any 
of  them,  by  main  force  and  power,  I,  therefore,  have  thought 

know,  by  William  Scull's  map,  of  1770,  that  the  Egypt  or  Ridge  road  had  been  laid  out 
for  several  years,  for  it  is  denoted  thereon  as  leading  to  Friends'  Meeting  house  in 
Providence."  On  a  map  of  Norriton,  made  in  1771,  it  is  called  "  Road  to  Philadelphia 
called  Egypt  road."  It  was  extended  through  the  borough  of  Norristown  sometime  be" 
fore  1770.  The  Ridge  Road  terminates  in  Philadelphia  at  Ninth  and  Vine  streets,  and  is 
known  after  it  enters  the  city  limits  as  Ridge  Avenue,  and  is  a  much  traveled  highway 
leading  to  the  northwestern  part  of  the  city,  on  which  a  line  of  passenger  cars  runs.  In 
1829,  the  United  States  mail  was  robbed  on  the  Ridge  Road,  within  the  present  built-up 
portion  of  the  city,  which  created  great  excitement  at  the  time.  The  robbers,  Porter, 
Wilson  and  Potete  were  arrested  and  tried.  One  of  them  turned  states  evidence  and  the 
two  others  were  hanged.  How  far  General  Macpherson  marched  on  the  Ridge  Road 
before  leaving  it  and  striking  across  country  to  the  Bethlehem  road  along  which  he 
marched  to  reach  the  Spring  House,  is  not  known.  No  doubt  he  marched  up  Ninth 
street,  to  Vine,  and  there  took  the  Ridge  Road,  as  this  seems  to  have  been  his  most 
practicable  way  of  leaving  the  city. 


THE   FRIES   REBELLION.  §3 

it  proper  to  inform  the  people  of  the  said  counties,  and  all 
others  whom  it  may  concern,  of  the  danger  to  which  they  ex 
pose  themselves  by  combining  in  unlawful  proceedings,  or 
giving  any  assistance  or  encouragement  to1  those  who  are  con 
cerned  therein  ;  and  likewise  to  represent  to  them  how  just 
it  is  to  submit  to  the  laws,  in  general,  but  particularly  to  those 
against  which  they  have  opposed  themselves  in  the  most 
violent  manner.  It  cannot  be  unknown  to  you,  my  fellow 
citizens,  nor  to  any  part  of  the  people  of  the  United  States 
that  submission  to  the  laws,  constitutionally  made,  is  abso 
lutely  necessary  for  the  support  of  the  government  ;-  and  that 
in  a  republic,  where  laws  are  made  by  general  consent,  this 
consent  must  be  manifested  by  the  majority  of  such  persons 
a<s  have  been  appointed  for  that  purpose  by  the  people  in 
general,  according  to  the  constitution'." 

After  pointing,  out  the  duty  and  necessity  of  the  people  to 
submit  to  the  laws  when  made,  he  proceeds  to  discuss  the 
constitutional  power  of  Congress  to  lay  the  tax  in  question, 
and  points  out  the  article  under  which  the  law  was  passed. 
"  The  United  States  were  threatened  with1  the  resentment  of  a 
very  powerful,  very  ambitiou's  and  very  revengeful  nation," 
and  that  the  tax  was  necessary  to1  raise  m'oney  in  order  "  to 
provide  for  the  common  defense  and'  general  welfare"  of  the 
e'ountry.  He  next  speaks  of  the  tax  and'  the  manner  in  which' 
it  was  to1  be  assessed,  of  which  he  says  :: 

"  In  laying  this  tax  Congress  paid  the  greatest  attention  to1 
the  situation  and'  wants  of  the  people,  and  distributed  it  in" 
such  manner  the  burden1  almost  totally  falls  on  the  richer 
part,  and  the  poorer  class  are  greatly  screened  from  the  effects 
thereof.  It  is  laid  on- land,  dwelling  houses^and  slaves;  but 
as  there  are  no  slaves  in  this  State,  the  whole  tax  falls  upon1 
the  lands  and  dwelling  houses.  The  lands  are  to  be  taxed- 
exactly  to1  their  value,  be  the  owner  whom1  he  may,  but  the 
dwelling  houses  are  appraised'  at  a  different  rate:  The  poor 
man  whose  house,  outhouses  and' lot,  not  exceeding.two  acres,- 
are  worth'  less>  than'  $100'  has-  nothing,  to  pay;  and  if  it  Were 
worth  $ioo>the: tax;  wbulti'be  only  20  cents.  According,  to  the 
same  rule,  other  houses  o/  a  nighej:  valye  pay  as  follows:  If 


&4  THE   FRIES    REBELLION. 

worth  $200,  40  cents ;  $300,  60  cents ;  $400,  So  cents,  and 
$500,  one  dollar,  from  which  you  will  perceive,  my  fellow 
citizens,  that  the  house  tax  is  according  to  the  value  of  the 
house,  at  20  cents  to  $100  ;  but  for  houses  from  $500  to  a 
$1000  value  the  tax  rises  for  each  $100,  30  cents  ;  so  that  a 
house  of  the  value  of  $600  will  have  to  pay  six  times  30  cents 
or$i.8o.  If  worth  $700,  $2.10;  $800,  $2.40;  $900,  $2.70; 
$1000,  $3. 

"  At  this  rate  the  rich  man,  with  a  house  rated  at  $1000,  has 
to  pay  three  times  as  much  tax  as  the  poor  man  whose  house 
is  rated  at  one-half  that  sum,  viz  :  $500;  and  thus  the  tax 
.operates  progressively  to  the  most  costly  houses  and  opulent 
people,  until  the  value  of  their  houses  is  taxed  in  proportion, 
five  times  as  high  as  those  of  their  poorer  fellow  citizens, 
whose  houses  are  worth  only  from  $100  to  $500.  A  house 
worth  $IOO  pays  20  cents,  which  is  only  the  one-fifth  part  of 
one  per  cent,  of  its  value  ;  a  house  worth  $30,000  pays  $300, 
which  is  one  whole  per  cent,  of  its  value,  and  consequently 
five  times  as  much  in  proportion  as  the  former.  Hereby, 
my  fellow  citizens,  you  must  be  convinced  that  an  opposition 
to  this  tax  in  our  counties  is  not  only  contrary  to  the  Con 
stitution,  the  laws,  and  every  principle  of  good  government, 
but,  in  itself,  inconsistent  and  ridiculous,  as  the  tax  which  is 
opposed  is  the  most  easy  on  the  poorest  citizens,  whom  they 
irritate  to  opposition.  Many  of  their  houses,  however,  would 
have  no  tax  to  pay,  and  very  few  more  than  $1.00  each,  for 
very  few  of  their  houses  would  be  rated  at  more  than  $500. 
It  is  true,  they  will  be  subject  to  a  land  tax,  but  the  tax  on 
houses  must  first  be  deducted  from  the  whole  quota  of  the 
State,  and  what  is  then  deficient  will  be  laid  upon  the  land. 
The  houses  in  this  State  will  probably  pay  the  greatest  part 
of  the  tax,  perhaps  the  whole,  and,  in  that  case,  no  tax  will 
be  laid  upon  the  land,  and  those  whose  houses  are  rated  at 
less  than  one  hundred  dollars  will  be  exempt  from  the  tax. 
As  a  further  proof  of  the  attention  of  Congress  to  the  wishes 
and  accommodations  of  the  people,  they  have,  during  the 
last  session,  repealed  that  part  which  required  a  statement  of 
the  windows  of  each  dwelling  house,  and  which,  as  it  after- 


THE   FRIES   REBELLION.  S$ 

ward  appeared,  was  more  disagreeable  than  necessary  or 
useful.  Therefore  no  further  account  of  the  windows  has 
been  demanded.  To  ascertain  the  value  of  the  lands  and 
houses  was  a  difficult  matter,  and  connected  with  a  great  deal 
of  expense,  but  when  once  done  need  not  be  repeated.  Great 
pains  were  taken  and  the  most  effective  measures  employed  to 
select  people  of  good  character  who  understood  the  business 
well,  and  whose  interest  were  equally  involved  with  their  fel 
low  citizens  to  have  the  business  accurately  executed.  "Be 
sides,  this  act  is  not  perpetual,  being  only  for  one  year,  and 
will  net  be  continued  unless  the  public  good  demands  it,  and 
not  otherwise  than  with  the  consent  of  the  people  through 
their  representatives.  As  for  those  who  have,  in  so  treason 
able  a  manner,  opposed  the  execution  of  such  lawful,  necessary, 
and,  for  that  part  of  the  citizens  who  are  the  least  able  to  pay 
taxes,  indulgent  law,  there  can,  therefore,  be  no  excuse.  The 
bad  consequences  which  they  draw  upon  themselves  by  their 
criminal  conduct  they  cannot  impute  but  to  their  own  blind 
ness,  obstinacy  and  malice.  On  the  contrary,  every  necessary 
step  will,  and  must  be,  taken  to  bring  them,  and  all  others  who 
have  aided  and  abetted  them,  to  submission  and  trial  by  due 
course  of  law,  in  order  that  their  punishment  may  serve  as  an 
example  to  others  and  prevent  a  like  course  in  the  future. 
The  necessity  of  employing  arms  against  a  number  of  our 
fellow  citizens  is  painful,  but  the  consequences  must  be  im 
puted  to  those,  whose  traitorous  conduct  has  produced  the 
present  disturbances,  and  not  to  government,  who,  according 
to  its  most  sacred  duties,  is  obliged  to  maintain  order,  and 
enforce  obedience  to  the  laws. 

"  But  all  those  who  return  quietly  to  their  homes,  and 
abstain  from  any  participation  in  these  unlawful  acts,  either 
through  open  aid  or  secret  abetting,  counsel,  or  information, 
shall  obtain  the  utmost  protection  to  their  persons  and 
property. 

"  Every  precaution  shall  be  taken  that  the  march  of  the 
troops  shall  not  be  troublesome  to  the  citizens;  all  subsistance 
shall  be  punctually  paid  for,  and  the  strictest  discipline  ob 
served.  Let  me,  therefore,  my  fellow  citizens,  warn  and 


£6"  TETE  FRIES   REBELLION". 

entreat  you  as  you  love  your  country  and  extenuate  the  happi 
ness  consistent  with  liberty,  order  and  peace;  as  you  wish  to- 
avoid  the  necessity  of  human  bloodshed,  which,  is  as  much' 
repugnant  to  my  wishes  as  those  of.  the  President  ;  as  you 
abhor  the  horrors  of  a  civil  warr.  and.  the  crimes  and  punish 
ment  of  traitors,  let  me  conjure  you.  to  shut,  your  ears  against 
the  counsels>of  those  malicious  persons  who  would1  lead  you 
to  destruction  in  order  to  satisfy  their  own  ambition,. while 
they  screen  themselves  from  punishment  due  to  their  crimes; 
who  try  to- seduce  you  to- take  up  arms  against  the  laws  and 
governments  of  your  country,  and  involve  yourselves  in  a 
contest,  as  hopeless  as  it  is  criminal,  against  the  power  of  the 
United  States;,  who- speak  to  you  of  peace  and  liberty  while 
they  are  kindling  civil  war;  who  complain>of  expenses  while 
they  are  forcing  the  government  to  augment  them, .in  order  to 
suppress  sedition  and.  revolt;,  and  who  plume  themselves 
upon  being  Republicans,  while  transgressing  the  most  essential 
principles,  of  Republican  government ;.  to>  wit :  obedience  to 
the  laws  made  by  the  decision  of  the  majority. 

"  Therefore,  I.  forewarn  you*  not  to  aid  or  abet  those  violaters' 
of  the  law  in* any  manner,,  so  that  you;  may.  avoid  a  participa 
tion  of  their  crimes,  andithe  consequent  punishment. 

"Given  under  my    hand   and   seal  at    Headqparters,  Aprili 

6,1799." 

(Signed)  WILLIAM;  MACPHERSON.. 

(Signed),  JOHN  WILLIAMS,. Aid-de-Gamp.. 


Rebellion, 


CHAPTER  IX. 

Iltev.  Charles  Menry  MelmuitH  Issue's  an  Address 

When  the  address  of  General  Macpherson  was  published,  it 
was  accompanied  by  a  letter,  from  the  Rev.  Mr.  Helmuth,1  ad 
dressed  to  the  German  population  in  general,  and  the  people 
of  Northampton,  in  particular: 

"TO   THE    PEOPLE   OF   NORTHAMPTON  COUNTY." 

''Friends  and  Brethren  in  the  Faith  : — Excuse  my  address 
ing  these  lines  to  you  ;  where  there  is  fire,  everybody  is  bound 
to  extinguish  it,  and  the  'clergyman  is  no  more  to  be  blamed 
for  lending  his  aid  than  any  other  citizen.  I  am  depressed 
with  anxiety  on  your  account.  I  know  the  consequence  of 
conduct  like  yours  ••  many  of  you  will  doubtless  be  appre 
hended  and  confined,  some  perhaps  will  pay  the  forfeit  with 
their  lives.  You  know  it  is  the  duty  of  th<;  clergy  of  the  city 
to  warn  such  miserable  persons,  and  prepare  them  as  much  as 
in  their  power  for  the  awful  change.  My  heart  was  much  op 
pressed. 

1  J.  Henry  Charles  Helmuth  was  a  distinguished  Lutheran  clergyman,  of  Philadelphia, 
for  his  piety  and  zeal,  and  he  is  credited  with  hoping  his  appeal  to  the  German  popula- 
tion  might  restore  quiet  and  order.  We  give  both  the  address  of  General  Macpherson 
and  Mr.  Helrnuth  because  they  are  part  of  the  documents  bearing  on  the  "Rebellion," 
and  help  to  make  up  its  history.  Macpherson's  address  is  a  skilled  affair  and  not  called 
for.  From  its  date,  the  Rev.  Helmuth's  letter  was  written  before  the  troops  marched, 
and  not  published  until  after  that  of  the  General's.  A  citizen  of  Northampton  replied 
to  it  with  some  bitterness,  calling  him  to  account  for  meddling  with  things  that  did  not 
concern  him.  We  were  not  able  to  find  a  copy  of  this  letter  among  the  contemporane 
ous  records  and  newspapers  we  examined. 

(87) 


?#  THE   FRIES   REBELLION. 

"  I  thought,  alas  [  perhaps  the  same  circumstances  as  those  of 
1794  will  again  occur;  perhaps  other  thoughtless  people  will 
fall  into  the  same  wretched  situation  because  they  were  igno 
rant,  and  were  deluded,  and  what  would  be  your  feelings  if  you 
had  to  witness  their  sorrow  and  anguish,  their  agonies  of 
death?  You  should  have  warned  the  miserable  creatures  ;  he 
would  then  perhaps  have  been  saved;  but  you  neglected  to 
warn  him,  and  are  therefore  responsible  for  the  destruction  of 
him  and  his.  Such  were  the  melancholy  reflections  that  in 
duced  me  to  write  you  these  lines. 

"  I  trust  that  you  will  think,  when  you  read  this,  as  you  may 
in  truth :  This  man  is  sincere  for  our  welfare — why  then 
should  we  think  it  improper  in  him  to  send  us  this  advice  ?  If 
he  even  should  now  and  then  say  some  things  that  are  not 
perfectly  agreeable  to  us  we  will  still  take  it  in  good  pnrt,  for, 
perhaps,  he  is  in  the  right,  perhaps  we  have  been  deluded,  we 
may  have  been  deceived.  If  such  be  your  thoughts  you  will 
soon  find  them  perfectly  correct. 

"You  have  hitherto  entitled  yourselves  to  the  character  of 
industrious  and  religious  citizens  of  the  Union,  and  most  of 
the  Germans  still  deserve  that  praise  ;  but,  sorrowful  to  re 
late,  you  have  suffered  yourselves  to  be  spurred  on  to  the 
most  abominable  injustice,  to  actual  rebellion  against  the 
government  you  yourselves  have  chosen.  How  happy  it  is 
that  your  number  is  but  small,  amongst  the  serious,  and  that 
the  far  greater  part  of  them  view  your  inconsiderate  conduct 
with  detestation  !  You  all  know  that  government  cannot  ex 
ist  without  taxes  ;  at  least  your  Bible  should  so  instruct  you  ; 
read  Romans,  I2th  chap.,  1-7;  read  it  attentively. 

"  Do  but  reflect  reasonably  on  your  conduct.  Even  the  holy 
passion  week  have  you  profaned  with  the  works  of  actual  re 
bellion.  You  have  undertaken  to  oppose  a  tax,  which  is  as 
favorable  to  the  country  people  as  any  tax  can  possibly  be  ; 
for  the  rich  inhabitants  of  the  cities  pay  by  far  the  greatest 
proportion  of  it ;  you  have  undertaken  to  oppose  the  tax 
which  never  would  have  been  made  had  not  the  govern 
ment  been  necessitated  to  make  defensive  preparations  against 
the  attacks  of  the  French ;  a  nation  that  aims  at  the  over- 


THE    FRIES   REBELLION,  $9 

throw  and  destruction  of  all  religion,  against  a  people  that 
would  scarcely  have  dared  to  attack  and  plunder  us  if  they 
had  not  been  certain  they  had  their  advocates  among  us. 

"  You  do  not  consider  the  dreadful  consequences  of  such 
opposition  as  you  have  made  ;  I  will  therefore  inform  you  of 
some  of  them. 

u  In  the  first  place,  an  army  of  several  thousand  men  will 
be  marched  into  your  neighborhood  ;  you  well  know  that  in 
spite  of  every  possible  attention  of  commanding  officers,  ex 
cesses  will  be  committed  by  an  army.  You  will  be  more  or 
vless  prevented  from  following  your  usual  occupations,  and 
yourselves  and  families  will  be  put  in  greater  terror  and  ap 
prehension. 

"Second,  The  army  will  cost  money,  and  the  money  the 
government  will  have  to  raise  by  direct  taxes,  for  which  you 
must  thank  your  own  opposition.  The  western  expedition  in 
1794  cost  a  million  of  dollars  ;  from  this  you  may  judge  what 
expenses  you  will  bring  on  yourselves  and  fellow  citizens  by 
your  scandalous  insurrections. 

"  Thirdly,  If  you  make  any  further  opposition  you  will 
necessarily  be  treated  as  rebels,  and,  before  a  month  has 
passed,  many  of  you  will  be  in  prison.  They  will  be  torn 
from  their  wives  and  children,  and  some  will  probably  suffer 
an  ignominious  death. 

"  Alas  !  my  heart  bleeds  for  you.  You  have  been  told  a 
thousand  falsehoods.  You  have  been  told  that  the  militia  ap 
proved  of  your  violence,  and  would  not  march  against  you, 
But  you  have  been  wrongfully  deceived.  For  my  own  part  I 
have  heard  many  speak  of  your  conduct,  but  I  have  not  heard 
one  approve  of  it  ;  your  best  friends  (if  those  are  your  best 
friends  who  agreed  with  you  in  political  opinions)  say  the  oc 
currences  in  Northampton  are  very  unjustifiable  ;  the  in 
surgents  must  be  subdued;  what  would  become  of  us  if  every 
body  were  to  create  an  insurrection  ?  This  is  the  substance  of 
what  is  thought  and  said  of  your  conduct — and  you  may  de 
pend  upon  it,  that  the  government  could,  at  a  very  short  no 
tice,  muster  upward  of  20,000  men,  if  such  a  number  were 


90  THE    FRIES   REBELLION. 

necessary,  who    would   willingly   march    against    you.      Every 
one  cries  shame  !   shame  !   upon  you. 

"  I  beseech  you  to  mark  well  the  character  of  these  men 
who  have  enticed  you  to  this  insurrection.  Are  there  not 
many  of  them  who  spend  more  money  at  the  taverns  in  the 
course  of  a  few  evenings  than  their  whole  tax  amounts  to  ? 
Honest  Christian  men  will  never  advise  to  rebellion,  but  more 
especially  against  a  government  which  has  scarcely  its  equal 
under  the  sun.  No  ;  they  are  wicked,  restless  men,  who  have 
deceived  themselves  and  you. 

"  It  is  your  misfortune  that  you  have  suffered  the  habit,  to 
grow  upon  you,  of  scandalizing  the  government  ;  of  cursing, 
instead  of  blessing  it ;  and  then  indeed  there  are  enough  to  be 
found,  who,  having  particular  ends  in  view,  will  scheme  with 
you  ;  persons  who  wish  for  your  friendship  on  election  day,  in 
order  that  they  may  get  a  lucrative  office  under  the  very  gov 
ernment  that  they  blaspheme.  When  matters  come  to  ex 
tremities,  these  deluders  know  perfectly  well  how  to  slip  their 
necks  out  of  the  halter  and  let  the  deluded  suffer.  These, 
who,  in  comparison  with  the  former,  are  innocent,  will  be  left 
to  bake  as  their  deceivers  have  brewed.  Think  of  me  when 
you  experience  this  sorrowful  truth. 

"Alas!  you  have  been  most  scandalously  deceived:  from 
my  soul  I  pity  you  !  But  what  is  now  to  be  done  ?  Listen,  and 
take  my  advice.  It  is  possible  that  the  Marshal  will  be  sent 
with  an  armed  force  to  seize  the  wretches  who  opposed  him 
in  arms.  For  God's  sake  do  not  let  yourselves  be  prevailed 
upon  to  abet  those  rebels;  for  should  you  be  found  in  their 
company,  you  will  certainly  be  punished  with  them. 

"  Rather  endeavor  to  persuade  them  to  deliver  themselves 
up  to  the  proper  authority,  and  this  would  be  the  wisest 
course  they-could  pursue;  but  if  they  will  not  do  so  give  the 
Marshal  every  assistance  he  may  require,  for  it  is  your  duty. 

"  Take  my  advice  ;  affection  for  you  and  the  impulse  of  con 
science  have  compelled  me  to  write  you  this  letter. 


THE   FRIES   REBELLION.  9! 

If  you  follow  my  counsels  you  will  do  well,  if  not,  I  have 
done  my  duty.  Be  assured  that  I  remain  your  friend," 

(Signed)  "  J.  HENRY  CHARLES  HELMUTH." 

"  Philadelphia^  March  28,  1799" 

The  troops  quartered  at  the  Spring  House2  tavern  and  farm 
houses  in  the  neighborhood  the  night  of  April  4,  and,  the 
next  morning,  several  cavalry  companies  resumed  the  march 
up  the  old  Bethlehem  road8  for  Seller's  tavern.4  This  was  the 

-  The  Spring  House  is  on  the  Bethlehem  road,  in  Gwynedd  township,  Montgomery 
county,  twenty  miles  from  Philadelphia.  It  is  an  old  settlement.  The  inn  has  been  a 
famous  hostelry  in  its  time  and  was  probably  licensed  as  early  as  1735.  The  village  con 
sists  of  a  store  and  a  dozen  houses.  Four  incorporated  turnpikes  meet  here.  On  his 
pedestrian  trip  to  Niagara,  1804,  Alexander  Wilson,  the  ornithologist,  stopped  over 
night  at  the  Spring  House,  and  wrote  its  praise  in  verse : 

''  The  road  was  good,  the  passing  scenery  gay, 

Mile  after  mile  passed  unperceived  away, 
Till  in  the  west  the  day  began  to  close, 

And  Spring  House  tavern  furnished  us  repose, 
There  two  long  rows  of  market  folks  were  seen, 

Ranged  front  to  front,  the  table  placed  between, 
Where  bags  of  meat  and  bones,  and  crusts  of  bread, 

And  hunks  of  bacon  all  around  were  spread  ; 
One  pint  of  beer  from  lip  to  lip  went  round, 

And  scarce  a  crumb  the  hungry  house  dog  found  ; 
Torrents  of  Dutch  from  every  quarter  came, 

Pigs,  calves  and  saurkrout  the  important  theme  ; 
While  we,  on  future  plans  revolving  deep, 
Discharged  our  bills  and  straight  retired  to  sleep." 

3  The  Bethlehem    road  was   originally  laid  out   from  the  land  of   Peter  Trexler,  in  the 
present  Lehigh  county,  then  in  Bucks,  to  the  Spring  House  tavern,  Philadelphia  county, 
now  Montgomery,  1735,  by  Robert  Thomas,  John  Roberts,  Hugh  Evans,  and  Jan  Jan- 
sen,  viewers.     It  was  one  of  the  great  arteries  of  travel  for  more  than  a  century  from  Le 
high  to  Philadelphia,  and  was  tapped  by    numerous  latteral  roads.     It  was  gradually  ex 
tended  up  the  country  as  the    settlements   went  north,  reaching  Nathaniel  Irish's  stone 
quarry,  in   the   Hellertown  road,  at  Iron    Hill,  1738,  and  Bethlehem  and  Nazareth,  1745. 
It  crossed  the  Lehigh   a  short  distance   below  Bethlehem,  at  the  head  of   the  island  now 
owned  by  the  Bethlehem  Iron  Company.     It  \\aspiked  in  1805-06.     The  Old  Bethlehem 
road  unites  with  the  New  Bethlehem  road  at  Line  Lexington. 

4  Sellers'  tavern,  the  present    Sellersvilie,    is  on  the  North    Penn.  railroad,  in    Rockhill 
township,  Bucks  county,  and,  before  the  railroad  was  built,  was  a  noted  inn  on  the  Beth 
lehem  road.     Philip  Henry  Zoller    was   the  first   of  the    family  to  settle  in    that  section, 
about  the  middle  of  the  last  century.     His  son,  Samuel  Sellers,  built  a  house  and  opened 
a  tavern  there,  about  1780,  a  small  stone  square  structure,  two  stories  and  an  attic.    Here 
his  son,  Thomas,  was  born,  1787.     On    the  death  of   his   father  he  took  possession   and 
owned  it  many  pears,  keeping   a  store   and  tavern.     He    was  the    first  postmaster,  1820; 
was  prominent  in  affairs,  and  elected  sheriff  and  to  the  Legislature.     It  has  had  several 
owners,  each   occupant   making  some   alterations.     After   Thomas   Sellers  came    Peter 
Kneckel,  Amos  Jacoby,  Simon  Jacoby,  Harry  Jacoby  £c.,  down  to  C.  M.    Hartzell    the 


£2  THE   FRIES   REBELLION. 

present  Sellersville  in  Rockhill  township,5  Bucks  county,  on 
the  line  of  the  North  Pennsylvania  railroad.  They  got  there 
that  day  and  encamped  on  the  farm  of  Andrew  Schlichter, 
which,  we  believe,  is  still  in  the  family,  and  was  occupied  by  a 
grandson  a  few  years  ago.  General  Macpherson  probably  did 
not  follow  with  the  main  body  until  the  6th,  as  his  address 
bears  the  date  of  that  day.  There  is,  however,  a  conflict  as  to 
the  date  of  its  publication,  for  while  the  address  itself  is  dated 
the  6th,  the  Philadelphia  Daily  Advertiser*  states  it  was  pro 
mulgated  on  the  5th,  the  day  the  cavalry  resumed  their 
march.  If  this  date  be  correct  General  Macpherson  probably 
marched  with  the  cavalry.  The  whole  force  was  now  as 
sembled  at  Sellers'  tavern,  where  headquarters  was  established. 
Judge  Peters  arrived  at  II  o'clock  on  Saturday  morning  to  be 
at  hand  to  bind  over,  for  appearance  at  court,  any  persons  who 
might  be  arrested.  General  Macpherson  appointed  Robert 
Goodloe  Harper,7  Esq.,  an  additional  aide-de-camp,  and  other 

present  owner.  The  interior  was  recently  modernized,  and  a  new  porch  built  in  front, 
but  the  old  walls  are  there.  The  village  was  erected  into  a  borough,  1874,  and  the  popu 
lation  is  about  1200. 

&  Rockhill,  a  township  in  Bucks  county,  was  settled  by  Germans  between  1720  and 
1730,  and  that  nationality  continues  largely  the  ruling  element.  It  lies  in  the  northwest 
section  of  the  county  and  borders  Montgomery.  The  township  was  organized  in  1740, 
with  an  area  of  14,343  acres,  and  is  one  of  the  most  populus  townships  in  the  county, 
Perkasie  Manor,  a  tract  of  10,000  acres,  granted  by  William  Penn,  in  trust  to  his  son 
John,  1701,  was  partly  in  Rockhill.  The  township  is  well  watered  and  fertile.  Sellers' 
tavern,  the  first  objective  point  of  Macpherson rs  army,  is  in  Rockhill  township. 

6  The  Daily  Advertiser,  which  had  its  birth  as  The  Pennsylvania  Packet  and  General 
Advertiser,  1771,  and  was  the  first  newspaper  established  in  Philadelphia,  in  the  Revolu 
tionary  period.     Its  publisher  was  John  Dunlap,  a  man  of  varied  abilities  and  broad  en 
terprise,  and  took  David  C.  Claypole  into  partnership.     In  1784  it  developed  into  a  daily, 
the  first  daily  newspaper   published  in   America,  under   the  name  of    The  Daily  Adver 
tiser.     It  wielded  great  influence.     On  September  19,  1796,  Washington's   farewell  ad 
dress  to  the  people  of  the  United  States,  first  appeared  in  its  columns,  the  manuscript  of 
which  Washington   allowed    Claypole   to   retain.     During   the  prevalence  of   the  yellow 
fever  in  Philadelphia,  in  the  summer   and  early  fall  of  1798,  the  office  of  the  Advertiser 
was  removed  to  Germantown.     The  paper  ceased  to  exist  many  years  ago. 

7  Robert  Goodloe  Harper  was  born  near  Fredericksburg,  Va.,  in  1765.     For  a  time  he 
served  in  the  army  during  the   Revolution.     He  graduated  at    Princeton,  1785;  was  ad 
mitted  to  the  Bar  of   Charleston,  S.  C.,    1786  ;  member  of  Congress,  1794-1801.    Served 
in  the  War  of  1812,  being  promoted   from  Colonel   to   Major-General.     He  was   elected 
U.  S.  Senator  from    Maryland  and   served  in  that  body,  1816-1821.     As  an    associate  of 
Joseph  Hopkinson  he  participated  in  the  impeachment  trial  of  Judge  Chase  of  the  U.  S. 
Supreme  Court  ;  in  1821  he  became  the   Federalist   candidate  for  Vice  President  of   the 
United  States.  He  was  an  eminent  jurist  and  statesman.   He  died  at  Baltimore,  January 
IS,  1825. 


THE    FRIES    REBELLION.  93 

arrangements  were  made  to  perfect  the  organization  of  the 
troops,  and  have  them  in  the  best  possible  shape  for  the  war 
they  were  about  entering  on. 

From  this  point  the  active  operations  of  the  campaign  were 
to  commence.  They  were  within  striking  distance  of  the 
houses  of  the  leaders  of  the  disturbance  in  Bucks  county, 
whom  they  sought  to  secure.  Fries  was  the  first  object  of 
capture,  and,  the  same  day  the  troops  encamped  at  Sellers' 
tavern,  a  scout  was  organized  to  effect  his  arrest.  Some  of  his 
acquaintance  had  given  General  Macpherson  information  of 
his  whereabouts,  and  one,  a  neighbor,  agreed  to  accompany 
the  troops  as  guide.  The  detail  for  this  purpose  consisted  of 
four  companies  of  cavalry,  two  commanded  by  Captains  Port 
er  and  Wharton,  but  the  names  of  the  commanders  of  the 
other  two  we  have  not  been  able  to  learn.  The  troops  left 
camp  soon  after  noon  piloted  by  David  Penrose,  who  lived  at 
Bunker  Hill.8  It  was  known  he  was  engaged  that  day  to  cry 
a  vendue  for  one  Fried  at  this  place,  and  it  was  the  intention 
to  capture  him  while  thus  employed.  They  continued  their 
march  up  the  old  Bethlehem  road  in  the  direction  of  that 
point. 

In  the  forenoon,  when  Fries  was  on  his  way  to  the  vendue, 
he  passed  by  the  residence  of  William  Edwards,  father  of  the 
late  Caleb  Edwards,  Quakertown,  who,  with  his  son,  was 
making  fence  along  the  road.  Mr.  Edwards  told  Fries  he 
would  be  arrested  if  he  went  to  the  vendue,  and  he  had  bet 
ter  stay  away.  He  replied  he  was  not  afraid,  and  that  no  one 
or  two  men  would  take  him.  Edwards  said  there  would  be 
more  than  one  or  two  there,  but  Fries  made  no  reply  and  con 
tinued  on  his  way.  He  was  afoot  and  accompanied  by  his 
little  black  dog.  Mr.  Edwards'  son  soon  mounted  his  father's 
stallion  and  rode  down  to  the  vendue,  where  a  large  number 
of  people  were  collected  ;  the  fact  that  the  troops  were  ex 
pected  probably  bringing  more  together  than  usually  as 
sembled  at  such  places.  When  the  troops  were  first  seen  ap- 

8  Bunker  Hill  is  on  the  New  Bethlehem  road,  the  line  between  Richland  and  Rockhili 
townships,  and  contains  a  store  and  a  dozen  dwellings.  The  old  inn  has  been  closed 
many  years. 


g4  THE   FRIES   REBELLION 

proaching,  about  half  a  mile  below  the  tavern,  Fries  was  on 
the  head  of  a  barrel,  bell  in  his  hand  crying  off  an  article  ~ 
this  he  knocked  down  to  the  bidder  without  much  cere 
mony,  then  jumped  to  the  ground  and  took  to  his  heels. 
The  commanding  officer  rode  up  and  ordered  the  people  to 
stand,  but,  having  become  alarmed,  they  did  not  heed  his 
order,  and  broke  arid  ran  in  all  directions,  pursued  by  the 
troopers.  Among  the  others  was  one  Trumbower,  who, 
choosing  to  trust  to  his  heels,  was  chased  by  a  soldier.  He  made 
fora  fence  which  he  mounted  and  sprang  over,  but  just  at  this 
time  the  trooper  rode  up  and  made  a  stroke  at  him  with  his 
sabre,  which  he  fortunately  avoided  and  the  blow  fell  upon 
the  fence.  The  sabre  was  broken  into  three  pieces,  and  Trum 
bower  made  his  escape.  The  name  of  the  soldier  was  Owen 
Foulke,  belonging  to  one  of  the  Philadelphia  companies  of 
cavalry.  Caleb  Edwards  ran  for  his  horse  which  he  mounted 
to  ride  home  ;,  he  was  stopped  by  the  soldiers  ;  but  David 
Penrose,  the  guide,  coming  up,  told  them  to  let  him  go,  and 
he  was  permitted  to  ride  away. 

In  the  meantime  Fries  had  succeeded  in  getting  away  from 
the  crowd,  and,  for  the  time  being,  eluded  his  persuers.  In 
the  confusion,  which  followed  the  arrival  of  the  troops  and 
flight  of  the  crowd,  it  was  some  little  time  before  an  attempt 
was  made  to  follow  him.  As  none  of  the  command  knew  him, 
they  had  to  trust  to  their  guide  for  his  recognition.  A  search 
was  instituted  among  those  who  remained  upon  the  ground 
and  about  the  premises,  and,  not  finding  him,  inquiry  was 
made  as  to  the  direction  he  had  taken.  This  information  was 
soon  furnished.  Upon  leaving  the  vendue  ground,  Fries  made 
for  a  nearby  swamp,  in  a  meadow  on  the  farm  of  John  Kach- 
line,  half  a  mile  from  Bunker  Hill,  where  he  concealed  him 
self  in  a  bunch  of  briars.  The  soldiers  distributed  themselves 
through  the  meadow  as  he  was  suspected  of  being  there,  and 
made  a  thorough  search.  He  would  have  remained  undis 
covered,  had  not  the  presence  of  his  dog  betrayed  his  hiding 
place.  He  offered  no  resistance.  He  was  brought  back  to 
the  tavern,  when  a  horse  of  Samuel  Edwards  was  seized,  upon 


THE   FRIES   REBELLION,  t)5 

which  he  was  tied  and  taken  under  the  escort  of  the  troops 
down  to  Sellers'  tavern,  where  he  was  placed  in  close  confine 
ment. 

There  is  a  difference  of  opinion  as  to  the  place  of  capture 
of  Fries.  The  Philadelphia  Advertiser  of  April  8,  1/99, 
in  speaking  of  the  affair,  states  he  was  taken  in  a  wood  and 
was  not  secured  until  after  a  pursuit  of  nearly  five  miles.  Our 
information  was  obtained  from  Caleb  Edwards,  of  Quakertown, 
who  was  present  at  the  vendue  the  day  of  the  arrest,  and  was 
conversant  with  all  the  facts  of  the  case.  We  think  his  state 
ment  more  reliable  than  that  of  a  newspaper  editor  who  lived 
at  a  distance  of  thirty  miles  from  the  scene  of  action.  The 
same  evening  a  detachment  of  cavalry  from  the  first  and  third 
city  troops  left  camp  about  sunset  to  arrest  Eberhart,  another 
of  the  insurgents.  He  was  taken  in  his  own  house,  in  the 
night,  and,  of  course,  made  no  resistance.  The  troops  called  at 
the  houses  of  several  other  disaffected  persons,  but  found  none 
of  them  at  home,  they  having  probably  fled  at  their  approach. 
They  returned  to  camp  the  next  morning  before  day-break, 
after  a  ride  of  between  forty  and  fifty  miles.  As  soon  as 
Eberhart  heard  of  the  approach  of  the  troops,  he  became 
much  alarmed  and  began  to  see  the  danger  in  which  he  stood. 
The  day  tfcat  Fries  was  taken  he  called  upon  Mr.  Foulke  and 
begged  him  to  shield  him  from  the  military,  and  pleaded,  in  ex 
tenuation  of  the  opposition  he  had  made  to  the  law,  that  he 
was  drunk  at  the  time.  An  officer,  who  writes  from  the  camp 
at  Sellers'  tavern,  under  date  of  April  6,  says  when  the  cap 
ture  of  Fries  was  announced,  "  The  joy  manifested  on  this  oc 
casion  was  not  to  be  described  ;  the  cheers  from  the  encamp 
ment  were  loud  and  repeated."  The  following  extract  from  a 
letter  written  at  Quakertown,  on  April  8,  considered  the  mat 
ter  in  a  less  serious  light,  and  the  writer  presumed  to  turn  the 
campaign  and  capture  of  Fries  into  ridicule.  The  author  was 
probably  an  officer  or  soldier  of  the  command  although  that 
fact  is  not  stated.  He  says : 

"  It  will  doubtless  afford  you  much  satisfaction  to  hear  of 
the  success  of  our  arms  against  the  rebels.  Truxton's  splen 
did  naval  victory  must  yield  to  the.  superior  splendor  of  the 


g6  THE   FRIES    REBELLION. 

late  action,  which  took  place  on  the  5th  instant,  in  the  neigh 
borhood  of  Quakertown.  Fries,  the  noted  insurgent  leader, 
who,  by  profession,  is  a  vendue  cryer,  and  who,  on  that  ac 
count,  had  obtained  some  ascendency  over  the  multitude,  was 
informed  on  the  morning  of  the  day  of  the  action,  (which  was 
a  day  on  which  he  was  also  to  cry  a  vendue)  that  the  federal 
troops  were  in  the  neighborhood,  and  that  they  were  resolved 
to  capture  him,  and  all  the  world  beside  if  they  opposed  them. 
Fries  laughed  at  the  account,  said  he  would  cry  the  vendue  in 
spite  of  the  standing  army,  and  seemed  to  talk  as  if  he  was 
not  afraid  of  them.  However,  while  he  was  busily  engaged  in 
his  work  of  the  lungs,  to  his  great  surprise  he  beheld,  about 
half  a  mile  distant,  the  troops  approaching.  He  carried  no 
arms  for  his  defence  but  his  heels,  and,  of  course,  the  formid 
able  appearance  of  a  regular  and  disciplined  army  struck  him 
with  such  a  panic  he  threw  down  the  fire  shovel  he  was  crying 
and  made  the  best  of  his  way  to  the  woods. 

"  The  troops,  with  uncommon  spirit  and  intrepidity  marched 
on  towards  the  crowd  assembled  at  the  vendue,  and,  with  a 
menacing  air,  demanded  the  leader  of  the  rebels.  A  boy  of 
about  eighteen,  never  having  (I  suppose)  seen  such  boldness 
and  intrepidity  in  military  array,  fled  with  uncommon  precipita 
tion.  Several  of  the  troopers  desirous  of  exhibiting  their  zeal 
and  activity  in  the  cause  of  humanity,  pursued  the  poor  soul. 
For  some  time,  by  dint  of  dodging  and  taking  the  advantage 
of  fences,  he  kept  them  at  bay.  They  grew  more  and  more 
warm,  as  the  battle  increased  in  difficulty,  and  at  last  dis 
charged  their  pistols  at  him  and  shot  a  hole  through  his  hat  ; 
this  brought  him  to  the  ground.  The  troops  drew  their 
swords,  and  it  is  declared,  by  a  person  near  the  scene  of  action, 
that  they  wounded  him  severely,  and  would,  no  doubt,  have 
killed  him,  had  not  some  of  those  that  were  in  the  war  been 
informed,  that  the  person  captured  was  not  Fries,  but  a  Dutch 
boy,  1 8  !  !  !  Fries  had  a  dog — (this  dog,  no  doubt,  will  be  en 
titled  to  a  commission  or  a  pension  for  life  for  his  services) — 
this  dog  having  missed  his  master  was  in  search  of  him. 
Though  as  rank  a  rebel  as  Fries,  no  doubt,  yet  it  is  ten  to  one, 
that  the  sharp-scented  warrior  would  not  have  smelt  his  track, 


THE    FRIES    REBELLION.  97 

and  of  course  he  would  have  escaped,  had  it  not  been  for  his 
own  officers  and  federal  dog.  The  troops,  understanding  that 
Fries  had  gone  such  a  particular  course,  and  upon  some  per 
sons  among  the  insurgents  panting  after  him,  the  troops  had 
the  dog  as  a  pilot,  till  they  finally  came  in  sight  of  the  true 
rebel.  Thus  was  Fries  taken  by  his  dog.  A  dog  worth  two 
of  Homer's  hero's  dogs  !  •  for  he  has,  in  a  manner,  quelled  the 
formidable  insurrection,  an  insurrection  that  has  called  forth 
the  energies  of  government  from  all  quarters.  Now,  if  this 
Federal  dog  is  treated  according  to  his  merit,  he  will  doubt 
less  obtain  an  appointment  in  the  ,'irmy  ;  a  troop  of  dogs  under 
his  command  might  be  used  to  great  advantage  among  the 
savage  Germans,  and  thus  might  they  obtain  new  honors 
equal  to  the  dogs  of  Cortez  in  South  America." 

Another  informant  says  that  the  night  after  the  arrest  of 
Fries,  he  was  taken  to  the  house  of  Samuel  Thomas,  father  of 
the  late  Edward  Thomas,  of  Quakertown,  who  lived  in  Rich- 
land  township,  near  Lester's  tanyard,  on  the  Bethlehem  road, 
where  he  was  confined  in  a  back  room  of  a  brick  building 
standing  a  few  years  ago,  and  probably  at  this  time,  and,  in 
1861,  inhabited  by  Enos  P.  Nace. 

After  the  capture  of  John  Fries,  the  military  endeavored  to 
make  a  prisoner  of  his  son,  Daniel,  an  active  youth  of  18,  who 
was  somewhat  implicated  with  his  father  in  his  operations. 
They  attempted  to  capture  him  at  home,  but  he  eluded  them 
and  took  to  the  fields  and  woods.  He  was  chased  by  the 
light  horse  into  what  was  then  called  "  Smith's  Meadow," 
near  Swamp  Creek.9  The  bogs  bore  him  and  he  ran  across 
without  hindrance,  but  the  horses  were  too  heavy  and  broke 
through,  one  of  the  riders  falling  off  and  breaking  his  arm. 
Seeing  they  could  not  persue  young  Fries  across  the  meadow, 
they  turned  back  and  he  escaped.  During  the  imprisonment 
of  his  father,  Daniel  went  to  Philadelphia  to  be  present  at  the 
trial  and  watch  events.  The  authorities,  hearing  of  him  be- 

9  Swamp  Creek  rises  in  Lower  Milford  township,  Lehigh  county,  a  mile  from  Steins- 
burg.  Several  small  streams  flow  into  it  within  a  half  mile,  and  it  becomes  a  consider 
able  stream  in  the  neighborhood  of  Milford  Square,  where  it  receives  other  affluents.  It 
empties  into  the  Perkiomen  half  a  mile  below  Sumneytown,  Montgomery  county. 


98  THE    FRIES    REBELLION. 

ing  in  the  city,  made  efforts  to  arrest  him,  but  in  this  they 
were  frustrated.  Information  of  what  was  going  on  being 
conveyed  to  hi^  friends,  they  concealed  Daniel  in  a  joiner's 
shop,  until  night,  when  he  quietly  left  for  home  and  reached 
it  in  safety.  He  was  never  apprehended.  He  lived  and  died 
near  Sumneytown,  Montgomery  county,  where  I  interviewed 
him  in  his  /Sth  year  and  received  these  facts  from  his  own 
lips. 

The  next  day  after  the  arrest  of  Fries,  he  was  taken  before 
Judge  Peters  and  examined,  and  what  he  said  was  reduced  to 
writing  and  signed  by  him.  The  following  is  a  copy  of  what 
was  produced  at  his  trial  and  admitted  in  evidence  against 
him.  The  confession  is  said  to  have  been  made  voluntarily. 
THE  EXAMINATION  OF  JOHN  FRIES,  APRIL  6,  1799. 

"  The  examinant,  confesses  that  he  was  one  of  the  party 
which  rescued  the  prisoners  from  the  Marshal  at  Bethlehem  ; 
that  he  was  also  one  of  a  party  that  took  from  the  assessors,  at 
Quakertown,  their  papers  and  forewarned  them  against  the 
execution  of  their  duty  in  making  the  assessments.  The 
papers  were  delivered  with  the  consent  of  the  assessors,  but 
without  force  ;  perhaps  under  the  awe  and  terror  of  the  num 
bers  who  demanded  them,  and  were  by  this  examinant  de 
livered  to  the  assessors.  He  confesses  that,  at  the  house  of 
Jacob  Fries,  a  paper  was  written  on  the  evening  preceding  the 
rescue  of  the  prisoners  at  Bethlehem,  containing  an  associa 
tion  or  agreement  of  the  subscribers  to  march  for  the  purpose 
of  making  that  rescue  ;  but  he  is  not  certain  whether  he  wrote 
that  paper.  He  knows  he  did  not  sign  it,  but  it  was  signed 
by  many  persons  and  delivered  to  the  examinant  ;  he  does 
not  know  where  the  paper  is.  The  examinant  confesses,  also, 
that,  some  weeks  ago,  he  wrote  (before  the  assessors  came  into 
that  township)  an  agreement  which  he,  with  others  signed, 
purporting  that,  if  an  assessment  must  be  made,  they  would 
not  agree  to  have  it  done  by  a  person  who  did  not  reside  in  the 
township,  but  they  would  choose  their  own  assessor  within 
their  township.  A  meeting  has  been  held  in  the  township 
since  the  affair  at  Bethlehem  for  the  purpose  of  making  such 
a  choice ;  examinant  went  to  the  place  of  election,  but  left  it 


THE    FRIES    REBELLION.  <j9 

before  the  election  opened.  The  examinant  further  ac 
knowledges  that  his  motive  in  going  to  Bethlehem  to  rescue 
the  prisoners  was  not  from  personal  attachment  or  regard  to 
any  of  the  persons  who  had  been  arrested,  but  proceeded 
from  a  general  aversion  to  the  law,  and  an  intention  to  im 
pede  and  prevent  its  exaction.  He  thought  that  the  acts  for 
the  assessment  and  collection  of  a  direct  tax  did  not  impose 
the  quota  equally  upon  the  citizens  and  therefore  were  wrong.  He 
cannot  say  who  originally  projected  the  rescue  of  the  prison 
ers,  or  assembled  the  people  for  the  purpose.  The  township 
seemed  to  be  all  of  one  mind.  A  man,  unknown  to  the  ex 
aminant,  came  to  Quakertown,  and  said  the  people  should 
meet  at  Conrad  Marks'  to  go  to  Millarstown.  The  examinant 
says  that,  on  the  march  of  the  people  to  Bethlehem,  he  was 
asked  to  take  the  lead,  and  did  ride  on  before  the  people  un 
til  they  arrived  at  Bethlehem.  The  examinant  had  no  arms, 
and  took  no  command,  except  that  he  desired  the  people  not 
to  fire  until  he  should  give  them  orders,  for  he  was  afraid,  as 
they  were  so  much  enraged,  there  would  be  bloodshed.  He 
begged  them,  for  God's  sake,  not  to  fire,  unless  they  had 
orders  from  him,  or  unless  he  should  be  shot  down,  and  then 
they  might  take  their  own  command.  That  he  returned  the 
papers  of  the  assessors,  which  had  been  delivered  into  his 
hands,  back  to  the  assessors  privately,  at  which  the  people 
were  much  enraged,  and  suspected  him  (Fries)  of  having 
turned  from  them,  and  threatened  to  shoot  him,  between  the 
house  of  Jacob  Fries  and  Quakertown." 

(Signed)  "JOHN  FRIES." 

Taken  April  6,  1799,  before  RICHARD  PETERS. 

As  soon  as  this  examination  had  been  taken,  Fries  and 
Eberhart  were  sent  off  to  Philadelphia  under  the  escort  of  a 
detachment  of  the  city  cavalry,  where  they  arrived  the  same 
evening,  Saturday,  and  were  lodged  in  jail  to  await  their 
trial  for  treason.  Their  arrival  and  commitment  were  an 
nounced  in  the  newspapers  the  next  morning,  and  created 
considerable  excitement. 

The  troops  broke  camp  at  Sellers'  tavern  and  marched  for 
Quakertown,  where  they  encamped,  it  is  supposed,  on  the  6th. 


100  THE    FRIES   REBELLION. 

They  pitched  their  tents  at  three  different  points  within  the 
limits  of  the  borough,  two  campanies  being  located  at  Pen- 
rose's  pottery,  belonging  to  the  late  Richard  Moore.  The 
same  evening  a  detachment  of  cavalry  was  despatched  in  pur 
suit  of  persons  who  were  accused  of  having  participated  in  the 
late  disturbance.  They  were  absent  from  camp  all  night,  and 
after  a  hard  scout  returned  the  next  morning  with  several 
prisoners.  It  was  reported  that  Clergyman  Eyerman  was  of 
the  number,  but  this  turned  out  to  be  a  false  rumor.  He  had 
put  himself  out  of  harm's  way  immediately  upon  his  release  at 
Bethlehem.  While  the  army  remained  encamped  at  Quaker- 
town  the  troops  were  active  in  the  pursuit  of  the  disaffected, 
and  scouts  were  sent  out  in  all  directions  to  apprehend  them. 
On  the  seventh  a  detachment  was  sent  into  the  region  known 
as  the  Rocks,10  where  some  of  the  insurgents  resided,  and  cap 
tured  several  of  them,  whom  they  brought  to  camp,  and 
placed  in  confinement.  The  troops  remained  here  until  the 
8th,  when  they  struck  their  tents  and  marched  for  Millars- 
town,  Northampton  county.  The  presence  of  the  troops 
at  Quakertown  inspired  terror  among  the  inhabitants  in  all 
that  region  of  country,  and  their  conduct  caused  great  distress 
and  suffering.  In  their  zeal  to  arrest  the  guilty  their  dis 
pleasure  often  fell  upon  the  innocent.  Armed  parties  patrol 
led  the  country  in  all  directions,  day  and  night,  and  it  was 
only  necessary  to  cast  suspicion  upon  the  most  upright  citi 
zen  to  secure  his  arrest.  Many  persons  took  advantage  of  this 
state  of  things  to  have  revenge  upon  their  personal  or  political 
enemies.  The  houses  of  quiet,  unoffending  people  were  en 
tered  at  the  dead  hour  of  night  by  armed  men,  and  the  hus 
band  torn  from  the  arms  of  his  wife  and  screaming  children  ; 
and  their  terror  was  greatly  increased  by  the  belief  that  death 
awaited  those  who  should  be  taken,  whether  they  were  in 
nocent  or  guilty.  The  scenes  of  distress  which  took  place 
among  these  poor  people,  upon  such  occasions,  are  described 
by  the  eye-witnesses  as  heartrendering.  In  many  instances 
the  troops  added  insult  to  injury,  by  exulting  over  the 
misfortunes  of  the  poor  creatures  who  had  fallen  into  their 

10  The  "Rocks"  probably  refer  to  the  rocky  section  of  Milford  township. 


THE    FRIES   REBELLION. 


IOI 


hands.  So  general  was  the  alarm  that  many  of  the  inhabitants, 
persons  of  considerable  property  and  respectable  standing, 
came  in  and  surrendered  themselves  to  the  military  authori 
ties. 


Rebellion 


CHAPTER  X. 

The  ,A.:rmy  Marches  F'r-orn  Qt-ial^ertowri  to 

to   !Pi\ilaclellia   via 


While  the  troops  were  encamped  at  Quakertown,  and  en 
gaged  in  pursuit  of  those  denounced  as  insurgents,  an  alarm 
ing  system  of  terror  prevailed.  This  was  carried  to  such  ex 
tent  that  a  large  majority  of  both  officers  and  men,  belonging 
to  the  expedition,  became  dissatisfied  and  disgusted  with  the 
duties  they  were  called  upon  to  perform.  An  officer  thus 
writes  to  a  friend  in  Philadelphia,  from  camp  under  date  of 
April  8,  1799. 

"  The  system  of  terror  here,  I  am  sorry  to  say,  is  carried  far 
beyond  what,  in  my  opinion,  the  public  good  requires.  De 
tachments  are  out  every  day,  and  night  apprehending  one  or 
other  individuals.  I  am  well  informed  that  from  the  time  the 
members  from  this  district  in  the  State  Legislature  went 
among  the  people  and  stated  to  them  the  impropriety  of  in 
terfering  with  the  civil  power,  the  magistrates  could  have  ef 
fected  everything  that  government  could  require  in  the  ap 
prehension  of  any  person  in  the  district.  There  is  scarcely 
an  officer  or  private  in  this  expedition  who  is  not  satisfied  of 
this  fact.  The  scenes  of  distress  which  I  have  witnessed 
among  these  poor  people,  I  cannot  describe,  when  we  have 
entered  their  houses.  Conceive  your  home  entered  at  the 
dead  of  night  by  a  body  of  armed  men,  and  yourself  dragged 
from  your  wife  and  screaming  children.  These  poor  people 

(102) 


THE   FRIES   REBELLION.  IO3 

are  extremely  ignorant,  but  they  have  feelings,  and  they  always 
consider  that  death  awaits  any  one  who  is  seized,  be  he 
culpable  or  not.  I  am  sorry  to  say  there  have  been  any 
instances  of  an  inhuman  disposition  exhibited  ;  they  have  not 
indeed  been  many,  but  vaunting  exultation  over  men,  even  if 
they  are  guilty,  when  they  are  captives  is  neither  a  proof  of 
generosity  or  courage.  Great  numbers  of  the  inhabitants  are 
coming  in  voluntarily  and  surrendering  themselves;  many  of 
them  persons  of  respectable  property,  and  of  good  standing 
in  the  neighborhood." 

The  following  is  an  extract  from  another  letter,  written 
from  the  same  place  while  the  army  was  encamped  there  and 
of  the  same  date,  which  will  give  the  reader  some  idea  of  the 
unpleasant  state  of  feeling  existing  in  the  section  of  Bucks 
county  where  the  disturbance  had  taken  place. 

"  Some  of  the  townships  have  been  at  variance  ever  since 
the  commencement  of  our  Revolution  ;  and  they  have  been 
characterized  according  as  they  took  part  for  or  against 
Britain,  as  Tory  or  WJiig  townships;  they  consist  for  the  most 
part  of  Germans.  The  townships  denominated  Tory  have 
always  been  attached  to  Mr.  Adam's  administration  ;  the 
others  of  course  had  different  politics.  Much  bitterness  has 
been  constantly  exhibited  on  both  sides;  but  an  anecdote, 
which  occurred  on  this  occasion,  will,  however,  give  you  a 
closer  view  than  a  general  relation.  It  appears  that  persons 
of  both  descriptions  were  opposed  to  the  window  tax,  or 
rather  the  Tories  were  opposed  to  the  tax,  and  the  Whigs  to 
the  assessors.  The  landlord  of  the  house  in  which  we  were 
quartered  had  given  information  against  several  of  his  neigh 
bors  who  lived  in  a  'Whig'  township,  and  said  they  should 
be  hanged  together  with  Fries,  but  particularly  Fries  for  hold 
ing  a  captain's  commissions  in  the  last  war.  A  person  present, 
who  heard  him  make  this  declaration,  supposing  he  meant  in 
the  British  service,  said  it  was  not  so;  the  landlord  replied 
that  it  was  true,  and  that  a  reference  to  the  proceedings  of 
Congress  would  show  it,  as  well  as  the  name  of  the  Conti 
nental  battalion  in  which  he  served." 


104  THE   FRIES    REBELLION. 

Among  the  letters  written  from  Quakertown,  while  the 
troops  were  encamped  there  was  one  giving  the  name,  and 
number,  and  persons  who  were  taken,  or  had  surrendered, 
which  breathes  quite  a  belligerent  spirit  toward  the  un 
fortunates  implicated,  as  the  following  extract  will  show  : 

"  We  are  here  now  two  days,  and  shall  proceed  immediately 
to  Millarstown  ;  when  we  reach  that  place  I  expect  to  be  per 
mitted  to  return  home.  We  have  been  successful  since  we 
set  out,  and  shall  have  a  drove  of  rascals  sufficient  to  fill  a 
jail;  we  have  already  taken  thirty-one  of  them;  against, 
which  there  is  sufficient  proof  to  convict  of  high  treason;  the 
others  of  misdemeanor.  Some  of  them  are  frightened  almost 
to  death  ;  the  fear  they  are  in  is  punishment  almost  sufficient 
for  the  greatest  of  the  offenders.  By  to-morrow  night  we 
shall  have  about  fifty  more  bad  fellows;  small  fry  are  admitted 
to  bail.  The  main  guard  is  pretty  well  filled. 

"Some  of  the  above  persons  came  in  and  surrendered  them 
selves,  by  way  of  making  peace,  which  saved  the  troops  the 
trouble  of  going  for  them,  and  may  save  their  lives  as  they 
expect  by  it." 

The  following  are  the  names  given  and  the  offences  for  which 

they  were  arrested  : 

TREASON. 

John  Fries,  John  Everhard,  Jacob  Huber,  John  Huber, 
Frederick  Heaney,  Christopher  Socks,  Jacob  Klein,  Sr.,  John 
Klein,  Jr.,  Daniel  Klein,  Abraham  Braith,  Jacob  Klein,  John 
Getman,  George  Getman,  William  Getman  and  Daniel  Weidner. 

MISDEMEANOR. 

Aaron  Samsel,  Peter  Harnberg,  Abraham  Strong,  Peter 
Heidrick,  Jacob  Huber,  Henry  Huber,  Michael  Breich,  Abra 
ham  Heidrick,  Henry  Mumbower,  George  Mumbower,  Peter 
Gable,  Jacob  Gable  and  Daniel  Gable. 

HELD   AS   WITNESSES. 
George  Mitchell  and  William  Thomas. 

These  sum  up  fifteen  held  for  treason ;  fourteen  for  mis 
demeanor,  and  two  at  witnesses,  thirty-one  in  all.  There  is 


THE   FRIES   REBELLION.  IO5 

hardly  a  name  in  the  list  that  cannot  be  found  among  the 
residents  of  the  German  districts,  of  Bucks  to-day,  and  are 
among  the  most  prosperous,  intelligent  and  respectable  citizens. 

While  this  volume  was  in  preparation,*  we  received  a  letter 
from  Mr.  James  C.  Iden,  an  intelligent  and  highly  respectable 
citizen  of  Buckingham  township,  Bucks  county,  detailing 
some  interesting  incidents  connected  with  the  Fries  Rebellion, 
from  which  we  make  the  following  extracts.  He  writes: 

"  I  remember  of  hearing  my  mother  say,  that  on  the  after 
noon  on  which  the  insurgents  marched  to  Quakertown, 
and  took  the  assessors,  Foulke  and  Rodrock,  prisoners, 
her  father,  James  Chapman,  managing  to  elude  them,  arrived 
unmolested  at  his  home,  one  mile  west  of  Quakertown,  (I 
think  on  the  farm  now  occupied  by  P.  Moyer)  on  the  road  to 
Milford  Square.  But  apprehending  an  attack  from  Captain 
Fries  and  his  party,  he  sent  his  family  to  pass  the  night  at  one 
of  his  neighbors,  arid  then  proceeded  to  barricade  the  doors 
and  windows  of  his  dwelling,  having  armed  himself  with  guns, 
pistols,  axes,  etc.,  to  repel  an  attack,  should  one  be  made.  It 
proved,  however,  to  be  a  needless  precaution,  as  no  attack  was 
attempted. 

"  One  day,  while  the  military  were  encamped  within  the 
disaffected  districts,  a  company  of  troops  was  detailed  to  make 
some  arrests.  The  persons,  after  whom  they  were  sent,  having 
got  wind  of  their  approach  concluded  to  leave  for  parts  un 
known.  Being  closely  pursued  they  took  refuge  under  an 
arched  bridge,  and  the  troops  rode  over  and  passed  them. 
Waiting  a  little  while  they  ventured  out  again  and  made  good 
their  escape.  The  troops  soon  finding  themselves  at  fault, 
and,  suspecting  how  the  matter  stood,  returned  to  the  bridge 
and  searched  under  it,  but  were  too  late  as  the  quarry  had 
flown.  They  returned  to  camp  quite  mortified  at  ]their  ad 
venture,  and  declaring  it  was  the  last  time  they  would  ride 
over  a  bridge  without  examining  it  thoroughly. 

"  On  another  occasion  a  party  was  sent  out  to  reconnoitre, 
but,  finding  nothing  that  required  their  attention,  they  con- 


*  1859-60. 


106  THE    FRIES    REBELLION. 

eluded  to  have  some  sport  by  shooting  at  a  mark,  taking  a 
farmer's  wheelbarrow  for  their  target.  Being  within  hearing 
distance  of  the  camp,  the  report  of  their  guns  produced  a 
great  commotion  therein,  it  being  supposed  they  had  met 
with  resistance,  and  probably  would  send  for  reinforcements. 
After  waiting  on  the  tiptoe  of  expectation  for  some  time  their 
trepidation  was  allayed  by  the  return  of  the  party  to  quarters, 
without,  however,  their  having  had  the  honor  of  receiving  any 
wounds  in  their  country's  defense,  or  bearing  with  them  any 
of  the  trophies  of  war.  They  and  their  commander,  how 
ever,  when  the  cause  of  the  firing  was  inquired  into  were  fated 
to  have  their  feelings  wounded  by  a  severe  reprimand  from 
his  superior  officer  for  such  a  flagrant  breach  of  the  rules  of 
military  discipline,  accompanied  by  a  peremtory  order  to  lay 
siege  to  no  more  wheelbarrows  during  the  campaign. 

"  Many  of  the  insurgents  were  arrested  and  examined  as  to 
the  extent  of  their  participation.  One  person,  (a  German)  on 
being  questioned  as  to  whether  he  had  carried  arms,  replied 
that  he  had  carried  an  old  mustick  (musket,)  but  she  was  '  goot 
fer  nossing.  she  would  not  go  loose'  He  was  asked,  '  if  so,  why 
did  you  carry  it  ?  His  reply  was,  '  O,  I  dunnow — I  dought 
mebby  I  might  schkeer  some  potty.'" 

In  the  same  letter  Mr.  Iden  furnishes  us  the  following1  sketch 

o 

of  James  Chapman,  one  of  the  assessors,  which  we  insert  at 
this  point  for  want  of  a  more  appropriate  place: 

"James  Chapman,  my  grandfather,  I  may  say,  was  born  in 
Springfield  township,  in  October,  1743;  that  he  learned  the 
trade  of  a  cabinet  maker,  but  quit  it  about  the  time  of  his 
marriage,  and  commenced  farming,  surveying  and  conveyanc 
ing,  which  he  followed  until  age  prevented,  residing  most  of 
the  time  in  the  vicinity  of  Quakertown.  After  the  close  of 
the  Revolution  he  was  employed  by  Judge  Wilson,  o'f  Penna., 
Governor  Hooper,  of  N.  J.,  and  others,  to  survey  and  locate 
lands  for  them  in  what  are  now  Carbon,  Monroe,  Pike,  and 
Wayne  counties.  He  suryeved  and  located  the  State  road 
from  Allentown  through  Mauch  Chunk,  Wilkesbarre  and 


THE    FRIES    REBELLION.  1O; 

Towanda  to  the  State  line,  (a  profile  of  which  I  have)  also  the 
North  and  South  road  leading  from  the  Wind  Gap  to  the 
State  line. 

"  In  locating  some  lands  for  himself  he  entered  a  tract  on  the 
south  side  of  Nesquehoning  Valley— the  tract  lying  immedi 
ately  south  of  it  being  the  one  on  which  the  Lehigh  coal 
mines  were  afterwards  discovered;  he  giving  the  preference  to 
the  fcwrmer  on  account  of  the  quality  of  the  timber,  thereby 
missing,  as  it  were,  by  a  hair's  breadth  the  acquisition  of 
almost  boundless  wealth.  He  held  the  appointment  of  county 
surveyor  for  many  years,  also  the  office  of  director  of  the 
poor  at  the  time  the  almshouse  was  built  in  1808.  Some  per 
sons  urged  the  directors  to  build  it  one  story  higher,  which  he 
opposed,  saying  that  'the  tax-payers  of  Bucks  county  would 
conclude  that  it  was  high  enough  by  the  time  it  was  paid  for.' 
He  was  one  of  the  county  commissioners  in  1812,  when  the 
court  house  was  erected  in  Doylestown.  When  his  term  ex 
pired  he  was  appointed  clerk  to  the  board  of  commissioners, 
which  he  held  until  a  few  months  before  his  death,  which  oc 
curred  near  Median icsvillc,  in  Buckingham  township,  1821, 
aged  nearly  78. 

"  Being  noted  for  his  personal  appearance,  his  weight  being 
270  pounds,  and  also  for  his  great  sociability  and  fund  of 
anecdote  and  ready  repartee,  in  connection  with  the  length  of 
his  public  life,  there  were  comparatively  few  residents  of  the 
county  at  that  day  to  whom  he  was  not  known  ;  persons  of  all 
ages  and  conditions  addressing  him  by  the  familiar  title  of 
'  Uncle  Jimmy  Chapman.'  The  generation  to  which  he  be 
longed,  have  now  nearly  all  passed  away  ;  the  venerable  Na 
thaniel  Shewell,1  of  Doylestown  township,  being  the  only  sur 
vivor  of  his  friends  and  associates,  who  now  remains  with  us 
at  the  advanced  age  of  nearly  100  years."* 

1  Nathaniel  Shewell,  a  leading  character  of  his  generation  in  Bucks  county,  a  descend 
ant  of  Walter  Shewell,  who  came  from  Gloucestershire,  England,  1732,  and  settled  in 
what  is  now  Doylestown  township.  He  built  a  handsome  dwelling  on  a  tract  he  pur 
chased  and  called  it  "  Painswick  Hall,"  after  his  birth  place.  Betsy  Shewell,  the  wife  of 
Benjamin  West,  was  a  member  of  the  family.  Mr.  Shewell  was  elected  sheriff  of  the 
county,  1800,  serving  a  full  term  of  three  years,  and  was  appointed  county  treasurer, 
1820.  Mr.  Shewell  died  at  the  close  of  1860,  his  will  being  proved  January  2,  1861. 


*About  1859-60. 


108  THE    FRIES    REBELLION. 

The  army  remained  in  camp  at  Quakertown  until  April  8, 
when  the  march  was  resumed  toward  Bethlehem,  Northamp 
ton  county,  in  which  region  of  country  there  were  many  in 
surgents  whose  arrest  was  desired.  On  that  day  they  march 
ed  but  ten  miles,  when  they  again  halted,  and  encamped,  as 
some  arrests  were  to  be  made  in  that  neighborhood.  It  was 
a  great  relief  to  the  inhabitants  of  Quakertown  and  the  sur 
rounding  country  when  the  army  left  that  place,  and  many  a 
prayer  that  they  might  never  return  was  offered  up.  The  ab 
sence  of  the  soldiers  and  harassing  scouts  soon  restored  the 
usual  quiet  in  that  section  of  the  country,  although  the  in 
terest  in  the  campaign  was  still  kept  up.  Of  the  prisoners 
named,  19  were  sent  to  Philadelphia,  under  an  escort  of 
cavalry  commanded  by  Lieutenant  Melbecke,  where  they  ar 
rived  on  Thursday,  the  i8th  inst.,  and  were  turned  over  to  the 
civil  authorities.  Conrad  Marks,  who  will  be  rembered  as  an 
active  participant  in  Bucks  county,  surrendered  himself  on 
the  I /th  to  the  deputy  marshal.  A  writ  had  been  issued  for 
his  arrest,  and  several  parties  of  cavalry  were  sent  in  pur 
suit  of  him,  but  he  eluded  them  all,  and,  at  last ,  thought 
proper  to  give  himself  up.  He  offered  bail  but  it  was  refused, 
and  he  was  sent  to  the  city  and  thrown  into  prison. 

The  army  now  proceeded  to  Millarstown,  Lehigh  county, 
where  they  again  encamped,  reaching  this  place  probably  on 
the  loth.  We  have  no  means  of  knowing  how  long  they  re 
mained  there,  but  probably  did  not  leave  before  about  the 
i6th.  While  encamped  here  they  were  joined  by  two  more 
troops  of  horse,  and  a  column  of  infantry.  A  grand  review 
and  inspection  was  held,  and  the  troops  are  said  to  have  pre 
sented  a  very  handsome  appearance.  From  this  point  parties 
of  cavalry  were  sent  out  in  pursuit  of  the  insurgents,  and  some 
arrests  were  made,  but  neither  the  number  nor  names  is  given. 
It  is  related  that  one  of  the  captured  was  brought  before  a 
well  known  magistrate  and  was  anxious  to  know  the  fate  that 
awaited  him,  to  which  the  official  replied  with  becoming  dig 
nity,  "in  a  fortnight  the  Circuit  Court  will  meet,  when  you 
will  be  tried,  and,  in  a  fortnight  after,  will  be  in  hell,  sir." 
This  circumstance  is  mentioned  to  show  the  bitterness  of  the 


THE    FRIES    REBELLION.  109 

times,  more  than  for  any  other  purpose.  Many  excesses  were 
also  committed  while  the  troops  lay  at  Millarstown,  and  the 
same  system  of  terror  was  maintained.  An  officer  writing 
from  camp  under  date  of  April  I  I,  says  : 

"  With  respect  to  military  operations,  they  still  continue  ; 
and  the  number  of  persons  confined  in  heavy  irons  increases. 
I  before  mentioned  to  you  that  some  old  men  have  suffered 
from  their  fetters.  Several  of  them,  who  have  been  thus  ac 
coutred,  marched  through  the  county  under  a  heavy  guard. 
Bail  to  any  amount  has  been  offered  for  their  appearance  to 
take  their  trial,  but  this  would  not  suit  the  system  of  terror, 
nor  would  it  act  as  a  warning  to  those  who  may  be  disposed 
to  vote  as  they  think  best  at  the  next  election.  All  the  ef 
forts  that  have  been  made,  however,  will  not  produce  resist 
ance,  and  when  I  tell  you  that  a  number  of  the  troops  who 
derive  their  authority  from  the  Federal  government,  live  at 
free  quarters  on  the  people,  you  will  not  question  their 
patience." 

Another  officer  writing  from  the  same  place,  under  date  of 
April  10,  thus  speaks  of  the  expedition,  and  the  unhappy 
situation  of  things  while  the  army  remained  in  the  country: 

"  We  are  now  quartered  in  a  Whig  town  where  the  people 
have  always  been  true  Republicans.  It  appears  now  to  be 
converted  into  an  actual  war  between  Whig  and  Tory.  The 
people  of  Quakertown  I  find  have  always  been  opposed  to 
those  who  advocate  arbitrary  measures,  and  the  funding  sys 
tem  and  standing  army.  This  place,  however,  appears  to  have 
been  one  of  the  places  where  the  greatest  opposition  has  been 
made  to  the  assessors,  who,  being  many  of  them  engaged  in 
hostility  against  the  revolution  must,  of  necessity,  have  ex 
cited  disgust  and  abhorrence  in  the  breast  of  those  who  had 
fought,  or  whose  fathers  had  bled,  in  fighting  against  the 
British.  The  inhabitants  are  principally  Germans.  Nearly 
all  the  male  inhabitants,  on  the  approach  of  our  army,  fled 
from  their  homes,  and  their  wives  and  children  exhibit  a  very 
unhappy  scene  of  distress.  Had  I  conceived  that  some  things, 
which  I  have  witnessed  here  could  have  taken  place,  I  should 


HO  THE    FRIES    REBELLION. 

never  have  given    my  assent  to  march   a  mile   on  the  expedi 
tion. 

"  One  effect  produced  by  the  distress  is  that  every  individual, 
whom  I  meet,  is  disgusted,  and  a  sentiment  generally  pre 
vails,  which,  contrary  to  expectation,  will,  I  apprehend,  com 
pletely  destroy  the  federal  influence  at  the  next  election.  Had 
the  Governor  seconded  Messrs.  Hartzell,  and  the  Senator 
from  this  district,  by  ordering  a  single  troop  of  volunteer 
horse  that  is  here  under  drums,  I  am  persuaded  that  this 
business,  of  which  so  much  has  been  made,  would  have  termi 
nated  within  the  24  hours  that  it  took  place;  and  that  no 
other  weapons  than  reasoning  would  have  been  found  neces 
sary.  Great  numbers  of  the  people  have  surrendered  ;  there 
are  about  sQven  detained  in  irons  and  I  am  grieved  to  see 
among  them  some  old  men,  whose  wrists  are  raw  to  the  bone 
with  the  hand-cuffs.  I  would  wish  to  see  more  humanity 
among  my  countrymen,  but,  unhappily  we  copy  too  much  the 
cruel  and  unfeeling  practices  of  the  English. 

"  A  liberty  pole  had  been  erected  in  this  place,  which  was 
cut  down  by  force  on  the  approach  of  the  army.  The  inn 
keeper,  near  whose  house  it  stood,  was  arrested  when  we  came 
up,  although  he  had  been  previously  at  Philadelphia  and 
given  bail ;  but,  when  a  volunteer  army  proceeds  thus  what 
would  the  people  have  to  fear  from  mercenaries,  who  have  no 
interest  at  stake,  no  principle  but  obedience  to  arbitrary 
orders." 

A  third  letter  written  from  the  same  point,  says  : 

"  There  are  several  of  these  poor  creatures  who  are  im 
plicated  by  information,  stirred  up  in  the  neighborhood,  from 
the  embers  of  old  quarrels  and  animosities,  whose  distress  is 
very  great.  Numbers  of  them,  I  am  informed,  are  willing  to 
give  themselves  up,  relying  on  their  innocence,  provided  they 
were  sure  of  being  admitted  to  bail  ;  but  it  is  generally  under 
stood  they  will  not.  Pray,  is  there  no  magistrate  in  the  city 
who  has  authority  to  receive  bail?  Is  there  no  one  who  feels  a 
sentiment  that  justice  is  incompatible  with  cruelty,  and  that 
the  mildness  of  our  laws  does  not  authorize  the  infliction  of 


THE    FRIES   REBELLION.  Ill 

severe  punishment  before  trial  and  execution  ?  I  can  scarcely 
persuade  myself  that  I  tread  on  the  soil  of  Pennsylvania  when 
I  witness  the  sufferings  of  these  poor,  well-meaning,  but 
ignorant,  Germans.  They  are  treated  in  no  respect  like  citi 
zens  of  the  same  country." 

The  army  marched  from  Millarstown  to  Allentown,  the 
present  county  seat  of  Lehigh,  by  way  of  Bethlehem,2  but  we 
cannot  fix  the  exact  date  of  leaving  Millarstown.  It  was  after 
April  15,  for  the  troops  were  there  then.  They  remained  at 
Allentown  only  a  few  days,  and,  while  there,  do  not  appear  to 
have  been  as  active  in  making  arrests  and  committing  excesses 
as  at  other  points.  While  the  army  lay  here  an  amusing  oc 
currence  took  place  which  is  thus  related  by  one  who  belong- 
ed  to  the  expedition  : 

"  One  night  a  sentinel,  stationed  near  a  wagon,  reported 
that  he  heard  some  person  about  to  make  an  attack  upon  it. 
The  alarm  was  given,  the  drums  beat  to  arms,  and  the  whole 
command  turned  out.  The  arms  were  loaded  with  ball  cart 
ridge,  and  a  member  of  Congress  was  sent  out  to  reconnoitre, 
who,  upon  his  return,  reported  that  the  enemy  (insurgents) 
were  in  rear  of  the  baggage  in  great  force.  The  troops  march 
ed  to  the  point,  and  a  platoon  was  ordered  to  fire,  when  a 
heavy  groan  was  heard,  and  a  body  fell  to  the  earth.  Some 
of  the  boldest  ventured  forward,  and  behold  they  had  shot  a 
bull  which  was  making  free  with  the  forage  that  hung  out  of 
the  tail  of  one  of  the  wagons.  The  animal  was  paid  for.  This 
is  believed  to  be  the  only  thing  the  army  killed  on  the  ex 
pedition." 

From  Allentown  the  troops  marched  to  Reading,  in  Berks 
county,  by  the  way  of  Greenmeyer  and  Karackerstown,  where 
they  arrived  on  Saturday,  April  20,  at  one  o'clock.  Writs  had 
been  issued  for  the  arrest  of  sixteen  persons  in  Greenmeyer 
township,  but  fourteen  of  them  came  in  and  surrendered 

2  Jacob  Rice,  of  Bethlehem,  in  a  note  to  the  author,  on  the  march  of  the  army  from 
Millarstown  says :  "The  troops  marched  from  Millarstown  to  Allentown,  which  lies 
northeast  from  the  first  named  place,  about  8  miles.  Bethlehem  lies  due  east  from  Al 
lentown,  distance  6  miles,  consequently  their  route  was  not  by  way  of  Bethlehem.  The 
troops,  with  the  exception  of  a  few  horse,  never  came  to  Bethlehem." 


112  THE    FRIES    REBELLION. 

themselves,  and  the  troops  were  sent  in  pursuit  of  the  other 
two,  but  they  could  not  be  found.  The  army  made  no  stay  at 
this  place,  but  almost  immediately  resumed  the  march  for 
Philadelphia,  where  a  portion  of  the  cavalry  arrived  on  the 
22d,  and  the  remainder,  with  General  Macpherson,  the  next 
day.  The  regulars  did  not  return  to  the  seat  of  government 
at  the  same  time  as  the  volunteer  corps,  but  remained  en 
camped  there  for  a  while. 

While  the  army  was  in  Reading,  the  members  of  one  of  the 
troops  of  volunteer  cavalry  committed  a  gross  outrage  upon 
the  person  of  one  of  the  most  respectable  citizens  of  the 
town,  without  the  least  cause  or  provocation,  which  created 
great  indignation  in  the  community.  This  consisted  in  forci 
bly  taking  Jacob  Schneider,  the  editor  of  the  Reading  Adler* 
to  the  market  house,  and  publicly  whipping  him,  by  the  order 
of  their  captain.  The  following  is  Mr.  Schneider's  own  ac 
count  of  the  affair,  taken  from  the  Adler  of  April  22,  1799. 

"  On  Saturday  afternoon  last,  the  troops,  who  were  sent  to 
seize  upon  some  people  in  Northampton,  called  '  insurgents/ 
on  their  return  from  that  expedition,  arrived  in  this  town,  and 
last  night  and  this  morning  they  all,  except  the  regulars, 
marched  for  their  respective  homes. 

"  It  is  an  old  proverb,  but  certainly  a  true  one,  that  in  every 
fold,  be  it  great  or  small,  there  can  be  found  rotten  sheep,  so 
it  happened  here.  This  army  was  small,  yet  it  was  not  with 
out  its  rotten  members,  and  some  extremely  so.  But  among 
the  whole  there  were  none  that  exceeded  Captain  Mont 
gomery's  troop,  of  Lancaster  Light  Horse,  not  because,  as 


3  The  Reading  Adler  is  the  oldest  German  newspaper  published  in  the  United  States, 
having  been  established  November  6,  1796,  by  Jacob  Schneider  and  George  Gerrish.  The 
second  number  was  issued  January  10,  1797,  and  each  successive  number  of  the  paper 
has  been  issued  every  week  to  the  present  time,  without  a  single  omission,  covering  a 
period  of  a  hundred  years.  In  1802,  John  Ritter,  nephew  of  the  senior  member  of  the 
firm  and  a  practical  printer,  was  substituted  for  Mr.  Gerrish.  From  1843  to  1847,  Mr. 
Ritter  represented  the  county  in  Congress,  and  died  in  1851,  aged  73.  The  Ritter  family 
had  a  continuous  interest  in  the  paper  from  1802  to  1857,  a  period  of  fifty-five  years. 
Other  changes  have  taken  place  in  the  proprietorship,  the  last  in  1874,  when  it  fell  to  the 
possession  of  William  S.  Ritter.  The  Adler  is  a  paper  of  great  influence  among  the 
Germans,  and  a  political  power  in  the  county.  The  Reading  Eagle,  a  daily  published 
by  Jesse  G.  Hawley,  may  be  called  a  child  of  the  Adler. 


THE   FRIES   REBELLION.  113 

they  boasted  themselves,  it  was  their  trade  to  catch  rebels 
and  abuse  them — but  because  they  carried  their  trade  so  far 
as  to  enter  the  houses  and  abuse  peaceable  and  inoffending 
citizens,  in  a  manner  the  most  scandalous  and  cowardly. 

"As  for  example  a  part  of  them  came  to  my  printing  office 
on  Saturday  last,  not  as  men  of  character  desirous  of  support 
ing  the  law  and  the  security  of  the  peaceable  citizens,  but  like 
a  banditti  of  robbers  and  assassins.  They  tore  the  clothes 
from  my  body,  and  forcibly  dragged  me  from  my  house  be 
fore  their  captain,  who  certainly  proved  himself  worthy  the 
command  of  his  corps.  He  ordered  his  troops  to  take  me  to 
the  public  market  house  and  give  me  twenty-five  lashes  on 
the  bare  back,  and  they  proceeded  to  obey  his  orders  ac 
cordingly,  and  certainlv  would  have  fulfilled  them  exactly  had 
not  some  of  Captain  Leiper's  troop,  of  Philadelphia,  interfer 
ed,  reproached  them  for  their  illegal  and  tyrannical  conduct, 
in  consequence  of  which  only  a  part  of  the  sentence  of  Cap 
tain  Montgomery  (six  lashes)  was  inflicted." 

Complaint  of  this  outrage  was  made  to  General  Macpher- 
son  by  Colonel  Heister3  and  Colonel  Frailly,  but  he  did  noth 
ing,  and  no  redress  could  be  had.  Mr.  Schneider  was  anti- 
Federalist. 

The  prisoners  in  custody  were  confined  in  the  common  jail 
of  the  city  of  Philadelphia,  until  their  trial.  It  is  said  their 
confinement  was  made  unusually  severe,  and  that  an  order 
was  issued  that  none  of  their  families,  or  friends,  should  be 
permitted  to  visit  or  hold  intercourse  with  them,  which  was 
carried  into  effect. 

The  expedition,  so  far  as  its  object,  was  to  arrest  those 
who  had  disturbed  the  public  peace  in  the  counties  of  Bucks 
and  Northampton,  had  been  entirely  successful,  and  the  lead 
ers  of  the  so-called  insurrection  were  in  the  hands  of  the 
Federal  authorities.  The  next  step  in  the  drama,  or  farce, 
for  we  hardly  know  which  to  call  it,  was  the  trial,  condemna 
tion  and  execution  of  the  prisoners  ;  and  the  preliminaries  to 

4  The  Heisters  are  an  old  and  influential  family  of  Berks  and  Lancaster  counties,  and 
have  furnished  one  Governor  to  the  State,  Joseph  Heister,  elected  in  1814. 


THE    FRIES    REBELLION. 


this  finale  were  urged  with  as  much  haste  as  common  decency 
would  permit.  For  an  account  of  the  proceedings  attendant 
on  the  trial  we  refer  our  readers  to  the  next  chapter,  where  it 
will  be  as  fully  recounted  as  time  and  space  will  permit. 


Rebellion. 


CHAPTER  XI. 


Trial   of 


F'ries. 


The  trial  of  John  Fries  was  the  most  extraordinary  judicial 
proceeding  our  country  ever  witnessed.  The  political  ran 
cour,  which  had  raged  with  such  fierceness  during  the 
closing  scenes  of  the  administration  of  Mr.  John  Adams, 
was  carried  upon  the  bench  and  into  the  jury  box, 
and  aided,  no  doubt,  to  determine  the  law  and  the 
facts  of  this  case.  The  Judge  evinced  an  apparent  dis 
position  to  carry  out  the  high  handed  measures  which  had 
been  begun,  and  whether  intentional  or  not,  leaned  with  a 
strong  bias  against  the  accused. 

The  Circuit  Court  of  the  United  States,  before  which  Fries 
and  the  other  prisoners  were  to  be  tried,  commenced  its  ses- 
session  at  Philadelphia,  on  April  11,  1799,  the  Hon.  James 
Iredell,1  one  of  the  Associate  Justices  of  the  Supreme  Court  of 
the  United  States,  being  upon  the  bench.  The  case  was  at 
tracting  such  wide-spread  interest,  the  court  room  was  filled 
with  an  excited  and  deeply  interested  multitude,  as  soon  as 
the  doors  were  thrown  open.  After  the  court  was  duly 
opened  for  business,  Judge  Iredell  delivered  his  charge  to  the 

1  James  Iredell  was  of  Irish  ancestry,  born  in  Lewes,  county  of  Sussex,  England,  Oc 
tober  5,  1751.  His  father  was  a  merchant  in  Bristol.  Iredell  settled  at  Edenton,  N.  C., 
1768  ;  studied  law  and  was  admitted  to  me  bar,  1770.  He  was  appointed  to  the  Supreme 
Court  of  the  State,  1777,  and  Attorney  General,  1779.  In  1790  Washington  appointed 
him  one  of  the  Justices  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States,  and  he  held  that  of 
fice  to  his  death,  1799.  He  exerted  a  strong  influence  in  favor  of  the  Revolution, 
although  he  did  not  take  an  active  part  at  the  beginning  of  the  controversey  —  while  at  the 
bar  he  aided  much  in  giving  tone  and  order  to  the  judicial  system  of  the  State. 


Il6  THE    FRIES    REBELLION. 

grand  jury,  a  production  which  was  characterized  by  great 
partisan  bitterness.  He  reviewed,  at  considerable  length,  the 
Alien  and  Sedition  Laws,  argued  their  constitutionality, 
and  said  they  were  called  for  by  the  spirit  of  the  times.  He 
next  passed  to  the  case  of  Fries,  which  he  noticed  with  con 
siderable  particularity.  He  contended,  in  advance  of  the 
trial,  and  in  the  absence  of  testimony  to  sustain  his  opinion, 
that  the  crime  with  which  he  stood  charged  was  Treason  ; 
which,  he  said,  consisted  in  opposing,  by  force  of  arms,  the 
execution  of  any  acts  of  Congress.  The  case  was  given  to  the 
grand  jury,  which  retired  to  their  room,  where  they  made 
such  examination  of  it  as  was  necessary  to  satisfy  their  minds 
of  the  nature  of  the  offence.  When  they  returned  into  court 
they  presented  a  true  bill  as  against  John  Fries,  who  now 
stood  indicted  for  Treason,  the  highest  crime  known  to  our 
law.  The  following  is  a  copy  of  the  indictment  under  which 
he  was  to  be  tried,  viz  : 

Indictment  in  the  Circuit  Court  of  the  United  States  of  Ameri 
ca,  in  and  for  the  Pennsylvania  District  of  the  Middle 
Circuit  : 

"  The  Grand  Inquest  of  the  United  States  of  America,  for 
the  Pennsylvania  District,  upon  their  respective  oaths  and  af 
firmations,  do  present  that  John  Fries,  late  of  the  county  of 
Bucks,  in  the  district  of  Pennsylvania,  he  being  an  inhabitant 
of,  and  residing  in  the  said  United  States,  to  wit,  in  the  dis 
trict  aforesaid,  and  under  the  protection  of  the  laws  of  the 
said  United  States,  and  owing  allegiance  and  fidelity  to  the 
same  United  States,  not  having  the  fear  of  God  before  his 
eyes,  nor  weighing  the  duty  of  his  said  allegiance  and  fidelity, 
but  being  moved  and  seduced  by  the  instigation  of  the  Devil, 
wickedly  devising  and  intending  the  peace  and  tranquility  of 
the  said  United  States  to  disturb,  on  March  7,  in  the  year  of 
our  Lord  one  thousand  seven  hundred  and  ninety-nine,  at 
Bethlehem,  in  the  county  of  Northampton,  in  the  district 
aforesaid,  unlawfully,  maliciously  and  trait crcusly  did  com 
pass,  imagine  and  intend  to  raise  and  levy  war,  insurrection 
and  rebellion  against  the  said  United  States;  and  to  fulfil  and 
bring  into  effect  the  said  traitorous  compassings,  imagina- 


THE    FRIES    REBELLION.  117 

tions  and  intentions  of  him  the  said  John  Fries,  he  the  said 
John  Fries,  afterwards,  that  is  to  say,  on  March  seventh,  in 
the  said  year  of  our  Lord,  one  thousand  seven  hundred  and 
ninety-nine,  at  the  said  county  of  Northampton,  in  the  dis 
trict  aforesaid,  with  a  great  multitude  of  persons,  whose  names 
at  present  are  unknown  to  the  Grand  Inquest  aforesaid,  to  a 
great  number,  to  wit,  to  the  number  of  one  hundred  persons 
and  upwards,  armed  and  arrayed  in  a  warlike  manner,  that  is 
to  say,  with  guns,  swords,  clubs,  stones,  and  other  warlike 
weapons,  as  well  offensive  as  defensive,  being  then  and  there 
unlawfully,  maliciously  and  traitorously  assembled  and  gather 
ed  together,  did  falsely  and  traitorously  assemble,  and  join 
themselves  together  against  the  said  United  States,  and,  then 
and  there,  with  force  and  arms,  did  falsely  and  traitorously, 
and  in  a  warlike  manner,  array  and  dispose  them  against  the 
said  United  States,  and  then  and  there,  with  force  and  arms, 
in  pursuance  of  such  their  traitorous  intentions  and  purposes 
aforesaid,  he,  the  said  John  Fries,  with  the  said  persons  so  as 
aforesaid  traitorously  assembled,  and  armed  and  arrayed  in  the 
manner  aforesaid,  most  wickedly,  rraliciously  and  traitorously 
did  ordain,  prepare  and  levy  public  war  against  the  said 
United  States,  contrary  to  the  duty  of  his  said  allegiance  and 
fidelity,  against  the  Constitution,  peace  and  dignity  of  the 
said  United  States,  and  also  against  the  force  of  the  Act  of 
the  Congress  of  the  said  United  States,  in  such  case  made  and 
provided.  (Signed)  "  WILLIAM  RAWLE,"2 

"Attorney  of  the  U.  S.  for  the  Pennsylvania  District." 

The  case  was  not  immediately  taken  up,  but  other  business 
on  the  docket  occupied  the  time  of  the  Court  until  April  30, 
when  it  was  called  up  in  order.  Fries  had  employed  eminent 
counsel  to  defend  him,  viz  :  Hon.  Alex.  J.  Dallas,3  father  of 

2  William  Rawle,  born    in  Philadelphia,  April   28,  1759,  completed    his  law  studies  at 
the  Middle  Temple,  London,  and  returning  to    Philadelphia,  1783,  was  admitted  to  the 
bar.     In  1791  he  was  appointed  U.   S.  District   Attorney  for  Pennsylvania  by  Washing 
ton.     He  was  one  of  the  original  members  of  the  Franklin  Institute  and  Historical  So 
ciety  of  Pennsylvania,   Chancellor  of   the    Law   Association  ;  a   fine  classical   scholar,  a 
deeply  read  and  learned  jurist  and  writer  of  ability.     He  died  April  12,  1836. 

3  Alexander  J.  Dallas  was  born  in  the  Island  of  Jamaica,  June  21,  1759;  was  educated 
in   London,  and   studied  law   at   the  Temple  ;    arrived   in  Philadelphia  with   his  wife, 
June  17,  1783,  was  admitted  and  began  the   practice  of  the  law.     He  rose  rapidly  in    his 


IlS  THE    FRIES    REBELLION. 

Vice  President  Dallas,  and  Messrs.  Ewing  and  Lewis.4  The 
United  States  were  represented  by  Messrs.  Rawle  and  Sit- 
greaves,  the  latter  being  a  resident  of  Easton,  in  Northamp 
ton  county,  and  at  that  time  the  United  States  Attorney  for 
the  Pennsylvania  district.  As  soon  as  the  case  was  called  up, 
Mr.  Lewis  preferred  the  following  motion,  in  writing,  viz  : 

u  And  now  the  prisoner,  John  Fries,  being  placed  at  the 
bar  of  this  Court,  at  the  city  of  Philadelphia,  being  the  place 
appointed  by  law  for  holding  the  stated  sessions  thereof,  and 
it  being  demanded  of  him  if  he  is  ready  for  his  trial  for  the 
treason  in  the  indictment  mentioned,  he  moves,  orctenus,  that 
his  trial  for  the  same  offence  may  not  be  proceeded  on  here, 
and  that  the  same  may  be  had  in  the  county  in  which  the 
same  acts  of  treason  in  the  said  indictment  mentioned  are 
laid,  and  where  the  offence  therein  mentioned  is  alleged  to 
have  been  committed." 

This  motion  was  argued  at  length  by  Messrs.  Dallas,  Lewis 
and  Ewing.  The  application  was  founded  on  the  judiciary 
act,  passed  September  24,  1789,  the  2Qth  section  of  which 
provides,  "  That  in  cases  punishable  with  death,  the  trial  shall 
be  had  in  the  county  where  the  offence  was  committed  ;  or 
where  that  cannot  be  done  without  great  inconvenience, 
twelve  petit  jurors  at  least  shall  be  summoned  from  thence." 
Messrs.  Sitgreaves  and  Rawle  replied  on  the  part  of  the 
United  States;  when  the  Court  overruled  the  motion,  both 
judges  delivering  opinions  upon  the  points  raised.  One  of 
the  reasons  given  by  Judge  Iredell  why  the  prisoner  should 
not  be  tried  in  the  county  where  the  offence  was  committed 
was,  that  the  inhabitants  were  in  such  a  state  of  insurrection, 
that  a  fair  trial  could  not  be  had.  All  motions  being  now  dis 
posed  of,  the  next  thing  in  order  was  to  fix  a  time  for  the 
trial,  which  was  set  down  for  the  first  day  of  May. 

profession,  and,  in  1801,  was  appointed  District  Attorney  of  the  United  States  by  Presi 
dent  Jefferson.  In  October,  1814,  he  accepted  the  portfolio  of  the  Treasury  in  the  Cab- 
nent  of  President  Maddison.  He  died  at  Trenton,  N.  J.,  January  14,  1817. 

4  William  Lewis  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Chester  county,  1751,  and  a  mmenced  the 
study  of  the  law  without  previous  educatian  to  fit  him  for  it.  His  preceptor  was  Nicholas 
Wain,  and  became  his  partner  after  admission.  He  has  been  accorded  the  highest  place 
among  his  contemporaries,  in  spite  of  his  roughness  of  speech.  He  drafted  the  famous 
Act  of  1780,  abolishing  slavery.  He  died  at  Philadelphia  in  his  7Oth  year. 


THE    FRIES    REBELLION.  I  19 

The  prisoner  being  brought  in  and  placed  at  the  bar  of  the 
Court  on  that  day,  was  duly  arraigned  ;  when  the  indictment 
was  read  to  him,  to  which  he  pleaded  "  Not  Guilty,"  and 
placed  himself  upon  his  country  for  trial.  A  jury  was  then 
called  and  empanelled,  which  consisted  of  the  following  per 
sons  :  William  Jolly,  Philadelphia ;  Samuel  Mitchell,  and 
Richard  Leedom,5  Bucks  county;  Anthony  Cuthbert,  Alex 
ander  Fullerton,  John  Singer,  Philadelphia  ;  William  Ramsey,6 
Bucks  ;  Samuel  Richards,  Philadelphia  ;  Gerardus  Wynkoop,7 
Bucks  ;  Jos.  Thornton,  Philadelphia  ;  Philip  Walter,  North 
ampton  ;  John  Rhoad,  Northampton. 

A  question  arose  as  to  the  last  two  jurymen  being  qualified, 
as  they  were  Germans,  and  did  not  understand  English,  but  it 
was  agreed  that  any  dfficulty  of  that  nature  could  be  explain 
ed  to  them.  Several  of  the  witnesses  being  also  Germans, 
and  not  able  to  speak  English,  a  Mr.  Erdman  was,  on  that  ac 
count,  sworn  as  interpreter. 

Mr.  Sitgreaves  opened  the  case  on  the  part  of  the  United 
States.  He  said,  "  Treason  is  defined  in  the  Constitution  of 
the  United  States,  section  ill.,  art.  m.,"in  the  words  fol 
lowing:  "  Treason  against  the  United  States  shall  consist  only 
in  levying  war  against  them,  or  in  adhering  to  their  enemies, 
giving  them  aid  and  comfort."  He  charged  that  Fries  was 
guilty  of  treason  in  levying  war.  He  then  proceeded  to  elabo 
rate  upon  the  phraesology  or  description  as  adopted  in  our 

5  Richard  Leedom  settled  at  the  "  Black  Bear,"  now  Richborough,  Northampton 
township,  Bucks  county,  over  a  century  and  a  half  ago,  where  he  hept  store  many 
years.  His  stone  dwelling  is  still  standing.  He  became  a  prominent  man.  In  his  day 
the  place  was  called  "  Leedoms,"  and  is  situated  on  the  Middle  road,  19  miles  from 
Philadelphia. 

8  The  Ramseys,  of  Warwick,  Bucks  county,  are  descended  from  William,  a  staunch 
Scotch-Irish  Presbyterian,  who  was  born  in  Ireland,  1698,  and  came  to  America,  1741. 
He  had  several  children,  among  whom  was  a  William,  probably  the  person  mentioned 
in  the  text — Robert  Ramsey  four  years  in  Congress  from  Bucks  county,  was  a  member  of 
this  family. 

7  The  Wynkoops,  a  prominent  family  in  Bucks  county  a  century  ago,  are  descended 
from  Cornelius  C.  Wynkoop,  an  immigrant  from  Holland  to  New  York  before  iyoc. 
They  came  into  Bucks  prior  to  1750.  Gerardus  Wynkoop  was  the  son  of  Gerrit,  and  an 
officer  of  the  Revolution.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Assembly  for  nineteen  years,  and 
long  its  Speaker.  He  died  about  1812.  Henry  Wynkoop  was  a  member  of  Congress, 
1789,  and  on  intimate  terms  with  Washington. 


120  THE    FRIES    REBELLION. 

Constitution,  which  is  borrowed  from  the  statute  of  Great 
Britain,  passed  in  the  reign  of  Edward  the  III.,  and  which  had 
never  been  changed.  He  then  passed  to  an  exposition  of  the 
full  meaning  of  the  word  treason,  as  understood  under  our 
Constitution,  and  pointed  out  what  is  necessary  to  constitute 
the  crime;  and  that,  according  to  the  definition  of  Lord  Hale, 
it  must  consist  both  in  levying  war,  and  in  levying  war  against 
the  government  of  the  United  States — that  if  the  people  as 
sembled  in  this  hostile  manner  only  to  gratify  a  spirit  of  re 
venge,  or  for  any  other  purpose  independent  of  war  against 
the  United  States,  it  would  only  amount  to  a  riot.  He  re 
viewed,  at  considerable  length,  the  leading  operations  of  Fries 
and  his  friends,  pointing  out  their  combination  and  con 
spiracy  to  resist  the  federal  authorities,  and  their  actual  resist 
ance,  with  arms  in  their  hands,  at  Bethlehem.  He  now  called 
witnesses  to  prove  the  facts  stated  in  his  opening.  Among 
those  subpoenaed  and  called  upon  the  stand  were,  William 
Henry,  William  Barnett,  John  Barnett,  Christian  Winters, 
Christian  Roths,  Colonel  Nichols,  Philip  Sclaugh,  Joseph 
Horsefield,  John  Mohollon,  Jacob  Eyerley,  Samuel  Toon, 
George  Mitchell,  Wm.  Thomas,  James  Chapman,  John  Rod- 
rock,  Cephas  Childs  and  others.  In  the  main  their  testimony 
sustained  the  facts  alleged  by  Mr.  Sitgreaves,  and  most  if  not 
all  the  overt  acts  set  forth  in  the  indictment  were  sub 
stantially  proved. 

Among  the  witnesses  called  was  Judge  Peters,  then  upon 
the  bench,  who  was  examined  more  particularly  as  to  the 
circumstances  under  which  he  issued  warrants  in  Northamp 
ton  county,  and  in  relation  to  other  facts  within  his  knowl 
edge  previous  to  the  examination  of  John  Fries,  on  April  6. 
At  this  stage  of  the  trial  the  confession  of  Fries  was  read,  the 
same  which  was  taken  before  Judge  Peters,  immediately  upon 
his  capture,  and  which  was  printed  in  a  previous  chapter. 

The  prosecution  having  now  rested  their  case,  Mr.  Dallas 
remarked  to  the  Court,  that,  though  they  wished  to  give  as 
little  trouble  on  the  part  of  the  defendant  as  possible,  they 
desired  to  call  two  or  three  witnesses  to  prove  that  the  indis 
position  which  was  manifested  to  permit  the  assessments  to  be 


THE   FRIES   REBELLION.  121 

made  was  owing  to  the  uncertainty  these  people  were  in  of 
the  real  existence  of  the  law;  that  the  prisoner  himself  was 
under  the  idea  that  it  was  no  law ;  and  that  they  had  no  in 
tention  of  opposing  Congress  by  force  of  arms,  but  that  they 
wished  for  time,  in  order  to  ascertain  its  real  existence,  and,  if 
the  law  were  actually  in  force,  they  wished,  agreeably  to  their 
former  custom,  to  appoint  assessors  from  their  own  respec 
tive  townships ;  that  it  could  be  shown  that  Fries  was  perfect 
ly  quiescent  after  the  proclamation,  and  that  some  of  the  wit 
nesses  were  mistaken  as  to  some  of  the  facts  which  they  had 
sworn  to.  Mr.  Dallas  alluded  to  the  fact,  that  since  the  jury 
had  been  impanneled,  a  newspaper  in  the  city  had  attempted 
to  intimidate  the  counsel  and  jury,  to  warp  the  sentiments  of 
the  latter,  and  to  deprive  the  prisoner  of  the  benefit  of  the 
best  talent  the  bar  could  afford.  He  proceeded  to  an  exami 
nation  of  the  law  of  treason,  and  argued  that  none  of  the  acts 
complained  of  amounted  to  the  crime  charged. 

After  Mr.  Rawle  had  argued  the  constitutional  definition  of 
treason  to  the  Court,  in  support  of  the  positions  taken  by  his 
colleague,  Mr.  Sitgreaves,  Mr.  Dallas  opened  the  case  for  the 
defendant  in  an  able  and  eloquent  speech.  He  reviewed  the 
whole  ground,  all  the  testimony  of  the  witnesses  produced  by 
the  United  States,  and  denied  that  from  the  facts  proved  there 
was  anything  like  the  levying  of  war  against  the  United  States. 
He  argued  that  treason  could  not  be  made  out  of  the  act  al 
leged,  and  that  at  most  it  was  but  a  conspiracy  to  resist  the 
execution  of  an  unpopular  law.  He  explained  the  disadvan 
tages  under  which  the  prisoner  appeared  before  the  Court, 
and  spoke  of  the  popular  resentment  that  had  been  engender 
ed  against  him  ;  and  he  called  upon  the  jurors  to  drive  from 
their  minds  everything  like  bias,  and  to  give  the  prisoner  the 
advantage  of  every  reasonable  doubt  they  might  entertain  of 
his  guilt.  Having  concluded,  he  called  three  witnesses,  John 
Jamison,  Israel  Roberts  and  Everhard  Folke,  to  prove  the 
facts  he  had  alleged. 


122  THE   FRIES   REBELLION". 

The  testimony  on  both  sides  being  closed,  Mr.  E wing- 
opened  the  case  to  the  jury  for  the  defendant,  and  was  follow 
ed  by  Mr.  Sitgreaves  and  Mr.  Rawle,  for  the  United  States. 
The  jury  was  then  charged  by  both  Judges  at  considerable 
length,  who  reviewed  all  the  facts  of  the  case,  and  the  law 
bearing  upon  it,  showing  a  strong  bias  against  the  prisoner. 
The  case  was  then  given  to  the  jury  which  retired  to  their 
room,  and  after  an  absence  of  about  three  hours  came  in  with 
a  verdict  of  Guilty.  The  trial  had  occupied  the  undivided  at 
tention  of  the  Court  from  the  first  to  the  ninth  of  May,  and 
during  all  this  period  the  public  mind  was  in  the  greatest  pos 
sible  state  of  excitement,  and  the  attendance  upon  the  trial 
large.  The  jury  did  not  separate  the  whole  time.  When  the 
verdict  was  announced,  it  was  received  with  satisfaction  or 
disapprobation,  according  to  the  political  bias  of  the  persons 
present  ;  for,  strange  as  it  may  seem,  politics  was  mixed  up 
with  the  whole  of  the  affair. 

The  Court  met  on  the  I4th  of  May  to  pronounce  sentence 
upon  the  prisoner.  As  soon  us  Court  was  opened,  Mr.  Lewis, 
one  of  the  counsel  for  Fries,  asked  for  a  rule  to  show  cause 
why  a  new  trial  should  not  be  granted,  which  caused  judg 
ment  to  be  suspended,  and  the  prisoner  was  remanded  back  to 
prison.  The  ground  upon  which  this  motion  was  based,  was 
that  John  Rhoads,  one  of  the  jurymen  on  the  trial,  had  de 
clared  a  prejudice  against  the  prisoner  after  he  was  summoned 
as  a  juror  on  the  trial.  He  read  depositions  to  substantiate 
the  facts  .stated.  Mr.  Lewis  was  sustained  in  the  application 
by  Mr.  Dallas,  who  advanced  additional  reasons  for  a  new 
trial.  The  motion  was  argued  at  considerable  length  by 
counsel,  and  the  two  judges  delivered  separate  opinions.  The 
Court  was  divided  in  opinion,  Judge  Iredell  being  in  favor  of, 
and  Judge  Chase8  opposed  to,  a  new  trial;  but  the  latter 

8  Samuel  Chase,  a  signer  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  was  born  in  Md.,  April 
17,  1741,  and  died  June  19,  1811.  He  became  an  eloquent  advocate  and  learned  lawyer. 
He  rendered  valuable  services  during  the  Revolution  ;  was  Chief  Justice  of  Md.,  mem 
ber  of  the  Maryland  Convention  for  considering  the  Federal  Constitution,  and,  in  1796, 
Washington  appointed  him  Associate  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States. 


THE   FRIES    REBELLION.  123 

finally  yielded  to  the  former  upon  the  ground  that  a  division 
in  the  Court  might  lessen  the  weight  of  the  judgment  if  finally 
pronounced,  and  a  new  trial  was  accordingly  granted.  Before 
the  second  trial  came  off  the  yellow  fever  broke  out  in  Phila 
delphia,  which  caused  a  removal  of  the  prisoners  to  Mont 
gomery  county  for  greater  protection  against  the  malignant 
disease  and  where  they  remained  until  the  fever  had  abated, 
when  they  were  returned  to  Philadelphia.*  The  late  Hon. 
James  M.  Porter,9  of  Easton,  wrote  us  the  following  interest 
ing  recollections  of  his  residence  at  Norristown,  at  that  period, 
which  we  publish  in  full : 

"  I  was  very  young  at  the  time  of  those  transactions,  but  I 
still  have  a  recollection  that  they  transpired  When  the  yel 
low  fever  prevailed  in  Philadelphia,  1  think  in  1799,  Isaiah 
Wells,  Esq.,  was  sheriff  of  Montgomery  (perhaps  jailor  at  that,) 
and  the  prisoners  were  removed  from  Philadelphia  to  Norris 
town.  Mr.  Wells  was  very  kind  and  allowed  the  prisoners 
great  liberties,  in  going  out  and  returning  to  the  jail.  Several 
of  them,  if  not  all,  were  farmers  and  accustomed  to  work  on 
their  own  properties  at  home  ;  he  allowed  them  to  get  work 
and  be  paid  for  it,  in  order  to  get  pocket  money,  and  have 
exercise  ;  but  required  them  always  to  be  in  the  jail  at  night. 
One,  whose  name  was  Moyer,  worked  one  day  for  my  father, 
who  lived  about  one  mile  from  the  jail.  I  remember  the  fact 
of  his  working  there  very  distinctly — splitting  wood.  We  had 
nothing  but  iron  wedges,  and  this  Mr.  Moyer  was  the  first 
person  I  ever  saw  use  wooden  wedges  or  gluts  in  splitting  the 

In  1804  he  was  impeached  for  misdemeanor  in  the  conduct  of  several  political  trials,  in 
cluding  that  of  John  Fries,  but  was  acquitted,  and  resumed  his  place  on  the  Bench, 
which  he  retained  until  his  death. 

*  A  session  of  the  Court  was  held  at  Norristown,  commencing  October  ti,  1799,  ow 
ing  to  the  yellow  fever  prevailing  in  Philadelphia,  and  the  case  of  John  Fries  was  called 
but  not  tried  at  that  time.  His  second  trial  was  afterward  had  in  Philadelphia  when  the 
fever  had  abated. 

0  James  Madison  Porter,  was  born  at  Selma,  Pa.,  in  January  of  1793.  He  served  in 
the  Second  War  with  England  ;  studied  law,  was  admitted  to  the  Bar  at  Easton,  1813 
where  he  became  a  resident.  He  took  an  active  part  as  member  of  the  Constitutional 
'Convention  f  Pennsylvania,  1838;  was  appointed  Secretary  of  War,  1843,  but  rejected 
by  the  Senate,  He  was  a  founder  of  Lafayette  College,  Easton,  1826,  and  President  of 
its  Board  of  Trustees.  He  died  November  IT,  1862. 


124  THE   FRIES    REBELLION. 

wood.  In  the  evening  he  complained  of  not  being  very  well, 
and  our  family  wished  him  to  remain  all  night.  This  he  de 
clined,  saying  that  Mr.  Wells  was  very  good  to  them,  but  he 
had  desired  them  to  be  there  every  night,  and  he  would  be  as 
good  as  his  word.  The  next  day  he  got  worse  with  the  jail 
fever  and  died  with  it  at  Norristown." 

The  second  trial  of  John  Fries  was  had  in  the  Circuit  Court 
of  the  United  States,  at  Philadelphia,  which  commenced  on 
April  29,  1800.  Judge  Chase  presiding,  assisted  by  Judge 
Peters,  of  the  District  Court.  The  former  indictment  had 
been  withdrawn,  by  the  District  Attorney,  and  a  new  one 
drawn  in  its  stead,  upon  which  Fries  was  arraigned  and,  as  be 
fore,  plead,  "  Not  Guilty."  Mr.  Dallas  and  Mr.  Lewis,  who 
were  engaged  on  the  first  trial  as  counsel  for  the  prisoner, 
were  retained  to  defend  him  also  upon  the  second  ;  but  they 
withdrew  from  the  case  at  the  commencement,  because  of  the 
extraordinary  course  of  the  Judges  in  laying  down  their 
opinions  as  to  the  law  before  hearing  counsel,  thus  prejudic 
ing  the  case.  They  alleged  that  this  preceeding  was  not  only 
illegal  but  wholly  unprecedented,  and  they  therefore  declined 
to  have  anything  more  to  do  with  the  case.  This  conduct  of 
Judge  Chase  afterward  became  the  subject  of  the  first  of  the 
articles  of  his  impeachment,  on  which  he  was  tried  before  the 
United  States  Senate,  in  February,  1805.  Their  withdrawal 
left  Fries  without  legal  assistance.  The  Court  asked  him  if  he 
wished  to  have  counsel  assigned  him,  but,  as  he  did  not  ex 
press  any  desire  for  it,  the  trial  went  on  in  the  absence  of  it. 
Mr.  Rawle  and  Mr.  Ingersol  conducted  the  prosecution. 

Of  the  jurors  called,  thirty-four  were  challenged  without 
cause,  and  the  following  were  admitted  and  sworn,  viz  : 
Samuel  Wheeler,  foreman  ;  Henry  Pepper,  John  Taggart, 
Cornelius  Comegys,  Ephraim  Clark,  Thomas  Baily,  Lawrence 
Cauffman,  John  Edge,  Charles  Deshler,  Henry  Dubois,  Isaac 
Dehaven,  and  John  Balliott.  Before  the  jurors  were  sworn, 
they  were  individually  asked,  upon  oath,  "  Are  you  any  way 
related  to  the  prisoner,"  to  which  they  all  answered  "  No." 


THE   FRIES   REBELLION.  125 

"  Have  you  ever  formed  or  delivered  an  opinion  as  to  the 
guilt  or  innocence  of  the  prisoner,  or  that  he  ought  to  be 
punished ;"  to  which  they  generally  answered  not  to  their 
knowledge.  Some  of  them  admitted  that  they  had  spoken  in 
disapprobation  of  the  transaction,  but  not  as  to  the  prisoner 
particularly.  Mr.  Taggart,  after  he  was  sworn,  remarked  to 
the  Court  that  he  felt  uneasy  under  his  oath,  inasmuch  as  he 
had  often  spoken  of  the  prisoner  as  very  culpable,  but  that  he 
had  never  made  up  his  mind  to  hang  him  ;  that  when  he  took 
the  oath  he  did  not  conceive  it  to  be  so  strict,  and  therefore 
he  wished  to  be  excused.  The  Court  informed  him  that  as  he 
was  now  sworn,  it  was  impossible  to  excuse  him,  and  he  ac 
cordingly  took  his  seat  with  the  others. 

Mr.  Rawle  opened  the  case  on  the  part  of  the  United 
States.  Before  any  of  the  testimony  was  admitted  for  the 
prosecution,  Judge  Chase  cautioned  the  prisoner  to  attend  to 
the  examination  of  the  witnesses  against  him,  and  to  ask  them 
any  questions  he  might  deem  proper,  but  to  be  careful  not  to 
ask  any  question  that  might  possibly  criminate  himself.  He 
said  that  the  Court  would  be  watchful  of  him,  and  would 
check  anything  that  might  go  to  injure  him,  and  would  be  his 
counsel  and  grant  him  every  assistance  and  indulgence  in  their 
power.  The  testimony  was  much  the  same  as  that  produced 
upon  the  first  trial,  and  sustained  the  facts  laid  in  the  indict 
ment.  The  prisoner  offered  no  evidence.  Mr.  Rawle  sum 
med  up  the  testimony,  briefly,  after  which  Judge  Chase 
charged  the  jury. 

The  jury  retired  about  six  o'clock  in  the  evening,  when  the 
Court  adjourned  until  ten.  When  they  entered  the  jury  room, 
the  jurors  agreed,  that  without  previous  argument  among 
themselves,  the  opinion  of  each  one  should  be  expressed  by 
ballot,  which  was  done,  and  they  were  unanimously  in  favor 
of  conviction.  At  the  hour  to  which  they  had  adjourned,  the 
Court  again  assembled,  when  the  jury  was  brought  in  and  de 
livered  the  verdict  of  Guilty,  amid  the  most  profound  silence. 
During  the  trial,  Fries  was  tranquil,  and  bore  himself  with 


126  THE    FRIES    REBELLION. 

great  propriety,  but,  after  the  verdict  was  rendered,  he  became 
much  affected  ;  and  in  view  of  his  impending  fate  remained 
depressed  in  spirits  down  to  the  time  of  his  liberation.  It  is 
said  that  he  confidently  expected  an  acquittal,  based  on  .the 
opinion  of  his  counsel  that  his  offence  did  not  amount  to 
treason. 

After  the  rendition  of  the  verdict,  Judge  Chase  remarked 
to  the  prisoner  that  as  he  had  no  counsel  on  the  trial,  if  he,  or 
any  person  for  him,  could  point  out  any  flaw  in  the  indict 
ment,  or  legal  ground  for  arrest  of  judgment,  ample  time 
would  be  allowed  for  that  purpose.  The  Court  met  on  Fri- 
nay,  May  2,  to  sentence  the  prisoner.  The  sentence  was  pro 
nounced  by  Judge  Chase,  who  addressed  Fries  at  length,  re 
marking  to  the  other  prisoners  at  the  bar,  that  what  he  should 
say  to  him  would  apply  generally  to  them.  He  reviewed  the 
offence  of  which  he  had  been  convicted,  after  a  fair  and  im 
partial  trial,  and  pointed  out  the  enormity  of  the  crime  in  re 
sisting  the  acts  of  a  government  so  free  and  liberal  as  that  of 
the  United  States.  He  called  his  attention  to  his  near  ap 
proach  to  the  close  of  his  career  on  earth,  and  besought  him 
to  prepare  for  that  other  life  which  was  beyond  the  grave.  He 
entreated  him  to  employ  the  balance  of  his  days  in  repenting 
of  his  sins,  and  in  seeking  that  pardon  which  God  alone  can 
give.  In  conclusion,  Judge  Chase  said  : 

"What  remains  for  me  is  a  very  necessary  but  a  very  pain 
ful  part  of  my  duty;  it  is  to  pronounce  that  judgment  which 
the  law  has  appointed  for  crimes  of  this  magnitude.  The 
judgment  of  the  law  is,  and  this  Court  does  award,  k  that  you 
be  hanged  by  the  neck  until  dead /  and  I  pray  God  Almighty 
to  be  merciful  to  your  soul.' 

Samuel  Sitgreaves,  who  conducted  the  prosecution  at  the 
first  trial  of  John  Fries,  was  one  of  the  ablest  men  Penn 
sylvania  ever  produced.  He  was  born  in  Philadelphia,  1763, 
where  he  studied  law  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar.  He  re 
moved  to  Easton,  Northampton  county,  about  1786,  and,  by 
reason  of  his  great  abilities  immediately  took  a  high  position 


THE   FRIES    REBELLION.  I2/ 

at  the  bar,  and  became  prominent  in  politics.  His  first  ap 
pearance  in  public  life,  was  as  a  member  of  the  Constitutional 
Convention  of  Pennsylvania,  1790,  in  which  he  took  an  active 
part.  He  was  elected  to  Congress,  1794,  and  served  until 
1798.  In  the  impeachment  of  Senator  Blount,  of  Tennessee, 
before  the  United  States  Senate,  he  was  one  of  the  leading 
managers,  and  discharged  his  duties  with  great  power,  talents 
and  fidelity.  In  1799  Mr.  Sitgreaves  went  to  England  as 
Commissioner  under  Jay's  treaty,  and  was  absent  at  the  time 
of  the  second  trial  of  Fries.  After  the  election  of  Mr.  Jeffer 
son  he  retired  from  politics  and  devoted  himself  to  his  profes 
sion.  He  became  disgusted  with  the  Federalists,  but  could 
not  affiliate  with  the  Democrats.  He  spent  the  balance  of  his 
days  in  retirement. 

During  the  time  that  John  Fries  was  confined  in  prison  he 
received  much  sympathy  from  the  citizens  of  Philadelphia, 
and  others.  Among  those,  who  took  deep  interest  in  his  fate, 
was  the  Rev.  Dr.  Janeway,  an  eminent  clergymen  of  that  day, 
who  visited  him  by  permission  of  the  authorities,  and  minis 
tered  to  him  spiritual  and  other  consolation.  He  presented 
him  a  handsome  Bible,  of  duodecimo  size,  with  which  to  con 
sole  his  hours  of  confinement.  After  his  sentence  to  death, 
May  9,  and  when  he  expected  shortly  to  be  led  to  the  scaffold 
for  execution,  he  made  a  bequest  of  this  Bible  to  his  children, 
as  follows,  viz  : 

"PHILADELPHIA,  May  22,   l8oO." 

"  MY  DEAR  CHILDREN. — This  Book,  presented  to  me  by  J. 
J.  Janeway,  at  his  request,  I  leave  as  the  legacy  of  your  dying 
father.  Let  me  entreat  you  to  regard  it  as  the  best  gift  of 
Heaven  ;  as  revealing  the  only  way  of  salvation  for  lost  sin 
ners.  I  beseech,  I  command  you  to  read  and  to  study  it.  I 
pray  that  the  spirit  of  God  may  open  your  eyes,  that  you  may 
read  it  in  faith,  to  the  salvation  of  your  immortal  souls. 

(Signed)  "JOHN  FRIES." 

The  Bible  is  now  in  possession  of  John  Fries'  descendants, 
who  live  in  Whitemarsh,  Montgomery  county,  and  is  cherish 
ed  by  them  as  a  great  treasure.  The  bequest  is  in  his  hand 


128 


THE   FRIES    REBELLION. 


writing,  and  to  judge  by  the  language  he  was  by  no  means  an 
illiterate  man.  He  lived  many  years  after  this  period,  and  at 
his  death  the  sacred  volume  passed  into  the  hands  of  those 
for  whom  he  had  intended  it. 


fhe   j?Fie$   Rebellion. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

Pardon  of   Fries. 

The  conviction  and  sentence  of  Fries  increased  the  excite 
ment  already  prevailing.  The  two  political  parties  took  up 
the  question  of  his  guilt  or  innocence  and  discussed  it  with 
great  bitterness  ;  the  Federalists  contending  he  was  guilty  of 
treason  and  ought  to  suffer  the  extreme  penalty  of  the  law  ; 
the  Democrats  taking  the  opposite  ground,  that  he  was  the 
victim  of  tyranny  and  oppression.  The  newspapers  of  that 
period  teem  with  this  violent  partizan  discussion,  and  give  us 
an  insight  into  the  bitterness  that  prevailed.  When  the  news 
spread  into  the  districts  where  Fries  had  resisted  the  execu 
tion  of  the  tax  law,  and  it  became  known,  among  his  neigh 
bors  and  followers,  that  he  had  been  condemned  to  death,  the 
minds  of  the  people  were  more  inflamed  than  at  any  past 
period  ;  and  had  they  possessed  the  power  would  undoubted 
ly  have  torn  him  from  the  hands  of  the  federal  government. 

There  was  a  strong  feeling  in  favor  of  Fries,  and  jthis  in 
creased  after  his  conviction.  He  was  considered  a  deluded 
man,  who  had  probably  been  led  astray  by  other  more  respon 
sible  parties.  For  this  reason,  also,  there  was  a  desire  to  save 
him  from  execution.  This  was  participated  in  by  both  politi 
cal  parties,  and  an  immediate  effort  was  made  to  obtain  a  pa  r- 
don  from  the  President.  Fries  does  not  appear  to  have  been* 
actuated  by  the  feeling  of  a  martyr,  nor  to  have  had  any  de 
sire  to  be  distinguished  in  that  way ;  but  was  anxious  to  es- 

(129) 


130  THE    FRIES    REBELLION. 

cape  from  the  unpleasant  position  in  which  he  found  himself. 
Soon  after  his  sentence,  he  caused  to  be  presented  to  the 
President  the  following  petition  : 

"  PETITION   OF   JOHN    FRIES." 
To  the  President  of  the  United  States  : 

".The  petition  of  John  Fries  respectfully  showeth  ;  that 
your  prisoner  is  one  of  those  deluded  and  unfortunate  ment 
who,  at  the  Circuit  Court  of  this  district,  has  been  convicted 
of  treason  against  the  United  States,  for  which  offence  he  is 
now  under  sentence  of  death.  In  this  awful  situation,  im 
pressed  with  a  just  sense  of  the  crime  which  he  has  commit 
ted,  and  with  the  sincerity  of  a  penitent  offender,  he  entreats 
mercy  and  pardon  from  him  on  whose  determination  rests  the 
fate  of  an  unfortunate  man.  He  solicits  the  interference  of 
the  President  to  save  him  from  an  ignominious  death,  and  to 
rescue  a  large,  and  hitherto  happy  family,  from  future  misery 
and  ruin.  If  the  prayer  of  his  petition  should  be  granted,  he 
will  show,  by  a  future  course  of  good  conduct,  his  gratitude  to 
his  offended  country  by  a  steady  and  active  support  of  that 
excellent  Constitution  and  laws,  which  it  has  been  his  mis 
fortune  to  violate  and  expose. 

(Signed)  "JOHN  FRIES." 

Philadelphia  Prison,  May,  1800. 

To  the  above  petition  was  attached  a  recommendation,  in 
the  following  words  : 

"  The  subscribers  most  respectfully  recommend  the  peti 
tioner  to  the  President  of  the  United  States.  They  are  warm 
ly  attached  to  the  Constitution  and  laws  of  their  country 
which  they  will,  on  every  occasion,  and,  at  every  hazard,  mani 
fest  their  zeal  to  defend  and  support.  But  when  they  reflect 
on  the  ignorance,  the  delusion,  and  the  penitence  of  the  per 
sons  involved  in  the  late '  insurrection,  their  pity  supersedes 
every  vindictive  sentiment,  and  they  sincerely  think  that  an 
exercise  of  mercy  will  have  a  more  salutary  effect  than  the 
punishment  of  the  convicts.  It  is  on  this  ground  that  the 
subscribers,  knowing  the  humanity  as  well  as  the  fortitude  of 


THE    FRIES   REBELLION.  13! 

the  President,  venture  to  claim  his  attention  on  the  present 
awful  occasion,  in  favor  of  the  wretched  father  of  a  numerous 
family." 

In  this  manner  was  the  application  for  pardon  brought  of 
ficially  before  the  President  for  his  consideration. 

At  the  time  of  the  first  conviction  of  Fries,  Mr.  Adams  was 
in  Massachusetts,  on  a  visit  at  Quincy.1  Colonel  Pickering2 
and  Mr.  Wolcott,3  two  of  the  members  of  his  Cabinet,  imme 
diately  wrote  him  the  result  of  the  trial,  and  expressed  their 
satisfaction  at  the  verdict.  The  latter  mentioned,  incidentally, 
that  Mr.  Lewis,  one  of  the  counsel  of  the  accused,  had  stated, 
on  all  occasions  during  the  trial,  that  the  offence  which  he  had 
committed  did  not  amount  to  treason.  He  also  stated  that 
Fries,  had  frequently  said,  that  "persons  of  greater  conse- 

1  Quincy,  the  home  and  birih  place  of  the  Adamses  for  several  generations,  and  one  of 
the  most  beautiful  towns  of  New  England,  is  situated  in  the  township  and  county  of 
Norfolk,  Mass.,  eight  miles  S.  by  E.  of  Boston.  Here  were  born  John  Hancock, 
Josiah  Quincy,  Jr.,  and  the  two  Adamses.  Quincy  is  noted  for  its  fine  granite  quarries, 
which  employ  over  a  thousand  workmen,  and  here  the  first  railroad  in  America  was  put 
in  operation,  1826,  for  the  purpose  of  transporting  the  granite  from  its  bed  to  tide  water, 
a  distance  of  three  miles.  In  a  stone  church,  completed  in  1828,  at  a  cost  of  $40,000,  is  a 
beautiful  marble  monument  to  the  memory  of  John  Adams  and  his  wife.  Quincy  was 
incorporated  in  1792,  and  the  population  is  about  10,000. 

2  Timothy  Pickering  was  born  at    Salem,  Mass.,  July  17,  1745,  and  died  there  January 
29,  1829.     He  graduated  at   Harvard,  1763;  studied   law  and  admitted  to  the  Bar,  1768. 
For  sometime  he  was  register  of  deeds,  Essex  county,  and  in  1766  was  confirmed  by  Gov. 
Bernard,  lieutenant  of  militia;  in  1775  was  elected  Colonel,  and  subsequently  joined  the 
Continental  Army.     In  September,  1775,  he  was  commissioned  justice  of  the  peace,  and 
two  months  later,  judge  of   the  maritine   court    for   the   counties  of    Suffolk,  Essex    and 
Middlesex.     He  was  appointed   by  Washington   Adjutant  General  to    succeed   General 
Reed,  and  was  present  at  battles  of  Brandy  wine  and  Germantown.     In  August,  1780,  he 
was  appointed   Quarter-Master-General  of   the   army   to  succeed  General  Nash  Greene, 
who  resigned.     He  was  present  at   the  surrender  of   Yorktown.     On    leaving  the    army, 
1785,  he  engaged  in  business  in  Philadelphia.     In  1787  he  removed  to  the  Wyoming  Val 
ley,  Pa.,  was  a  member  of   the   Convention,  1789,  to    frame  the  new   Constitution.     On 
resignation  of  General  Knox,  1795,  he  was  appointed  Secretary  of  War,  and  later  in  the 
same  year,  Secretary  of  State  to  1800.     He   returned  to   Massachusetts,  and  in    1802  was 
appointed  President   Judge   of   the   Court   of   Common    Pleas ;  elected    U.   S.    Senate, 
1803-1812;  member  House  of  Representatives,  1812-16. 

3  Oliver  Wolcott  was  born  at    Litchfield,  Conn.,  January    n,  1760,  and  died  at    New 
York  city,  June  T,  1833.     He  graduated  at   Yale,  1778,  studied  law   and  was  admitted  to 
the  Bar,  1781.     He  saw  some  military  service  during   the  Revolution.     In    1789  he   was 
appointed  Auditor,  in  1791  Comptroller,  and  in  1795  Secretary  of  Treasury  of  the  United 
States.     He  was  elected  Governor  of  Connecticut,  1817,  and  served  for  10  years. 


132  THE    FRIES   REBELLION. 

sequence  had  been  at  the  bottom  of  the  business."  These 
letters  reached  Mr.  Adams  the  evening  of  May  16,  and,  the 
next  morning,  he  answered  them.  To  Mr.  Wolcott  he  wrote 
as  follows : 

"  QuiNCY,   May   17,   1799." 

"  I  thank  you,  sir,  for  the  favor  of  the  nth,  which  I  received 
last  night.  The  termination  of  the  trial  of  Fries,  is  an  import 
ant  and  interesting,  and  an  affecting  event.  I  am  unable  to 
conjecture  the  grounds  of  Mr.  Lewis'  opinion  and  wish  I  had 
a  sketch  of  them.  Is  Fries  a  native  or  a  foreigner?  Is  he  a 
man  of  property  and  independence,  or  is  he  in  debt?  What 
has  been  his  previous  life?  Industrious  or  idle,  sober  or  tem 
perate  ? 

"  It  is  of  importance  to  discover,  if  possible,  the  great  man 
alluded  to  by  Fries,  in  his  observation  to  Mr.  Wood,  as  at  the 
bottom  of  the  business,  and  the  evidence  of  any  agitation 
among  the  insurgents  ought  to  be  collected. 

"  It  is  of  moment,  also,  to  ascertain  whether  the  insurgents 
had  any  general  view,  or  extensive  communications  with 
others  of  similar  dispositions  in  other  counties  or  correspon 
dence  with  other  states.  We  ought  also  to  inquire  whether 
Fries  is  the  most  culpable  among  the  guilty,  if  that  can  be 
known.  It  highly  concerns  the  people  of  the  United  States, 
and  especially  the  federal  government,  that  in  the  whole  pro 
gress  and  ultimate  conclusion  of  this  affair,  neither  humanity 
be  unnecessarily  afflicted,  nor  public  justice  essentially  vio 
lated,  nor  the  public  safety  endangered. 

"  I  have  the  honor  to  be,  sir,  your  most  obedient  and  hum 
ble  servant,  (Signed)  JOHN  ADAMS." 

This  honest  expression  of  opinion,  by  Mr.  Adams,  was  not 
well  received  by  some  of  the  members  of  his  Cabinet,  who 
had  marked  Fries  as  a  victim  to  federal  power,  and  they  were 
not  well  pleased  at  the  prospect  of  his  escaping  them,  a  re 
mote  chance  of  which  they  thought  they  could  see  fore 
shadowed  in  the  President's  letter.  In  the  life  of  John  Adams, 
by  his  grandson,  Charles  Francis  Adams,  volume  I,  page  571, 
the  author  thus  notices  this  proceeding:  "These  letters  were 


THE    FRIES    REBELLION.  133 

received  by  the  persons  to  whom  they  were  addressed  with 
some  dismay.  They  did  not  understand  why  the  President 
should  entertain  his  own  views  of  the  law,  after  the  proper 
Court  had  adjucated  upon  it,  and  they  honestly  thought  that 
the  public  safety  required  an  immediate  example  to  be  made 
of  Fries.  *  Painful  as  the  idea  of  taking  the  life  of  a  man,' 
said  Pickering,  '  I  feel  a  calm  and  solid  satisfaction  that  an 
opportunity  is  now  presented,  in  executing  the  just  sentence 
of  the  law,  to  crush  that  spirit,  which,  if  not  overthrown  and 
destroyed,  may  proceed  in  its  career,  and  overturn  the  gov 
ernment.'  " 

Two  views  were  presented  when  the  question  of  the  execu 
tion  of  Fries  camp  up,  but  the  conflict  was  postponed  for  a 
time,  by  a  new  trial  being  granted. 

After  the  second  conviction,  and  his  sentence  to  death,  by 
Judge  Chase,  Mr.  Adams  took  the  proper  measures  to  inform 
himself  of  the  probable  guilt  or  innocence  of  the  prisoner,  and 
of  such  other  matters  in  relation  thereto,  as  would  give  him  a 
full  understanding  of  the  whole  case,  that  he  might  act  justly 
and  fairly  in  the  premises. 

There  can  be  no  doubt  that,  at  one  period,  Mr.  Adams  had 
determined  to  let  the  law  take  its  course,  and  made  up  his 
mind  not  to  interpose  the  executive  clemency.  Mr.  Hamil 
ton,4  in  his  letter  on  the  public  conduct  of  Mr.  Adams,  states 
that  while  the  trials  were  pending,  he  more  than  once  ex 
pressed  himself  to  the  effect,  "  that  the  accused  must  found 
their  hopes  of  escape,  either  in  their  innocence,  or  in  the 
lenity  of  the  juries;  since  from  him,  in  case  of  conviction, 


4  Alexander  Hamilton,  one  of  the  ablest  Americam  statesmen  of  the  early  Constitu 
tional  era  of  the  United  States,  was  born  on  the  Island  of  Nevis,  West  Indies,  January 
u,  1757,  and  educated  at  Columbia  College,  New  York.  While  a  student  he  organized 
an  artillery  company  of  his  fellow  students,  and  took  an  active  part  at  the  battle  of  Long 
Island.  In  January,  1777,  he  became  Washington's  Private  Secretary  and  remained 
with  him  until  April,  1781.  He  married  a  daughter  of  Philip  Schuler,  1780.  After  the 
War  of  the  Revolution  had  been  fought  to  a  conclusion,  the  important  part  he  took  in 
the  formation,  and  adoption  of  the  Constitution,  and  his  services  in  organizing  the 
finances  of  the  new  Republic  are  too  well  known  to  need  repetition.  He  fell  in  a  duel 
with  Aaron  Burr,  July  n,  1804.  Alexander  Hamilton  was  one  of  the  most  remarkable 
men  that  took  part  in  the  Revolutionary  struggle  and  the  subsequent  formation  of  the 
Government. 


134  THE   FRIES    REBELLION. 

they  would  have  nothing  to  expect."  He  further  states  that 
a  short  time  before  the  pardon  he  declared  that  the  mistaken 
policy  of  Washington  in  regard  to  the  Western  Insurrection 
had  been  the  cause  of  the  second  troubles.  Whatever  the 
cause  may  have  been,  it  is  evident  his  mind  had  undergone 
great  change,  and  that  he  had  come  to  the  determination  to 
pardon  them  if  he  could  have  justification  for  doing  so.  Hence 
his  anxiety  to  learn  the  full  particulars  of  the  case,  indepen 
dent  of  the  action  of  the  Court  and  jury. 

Soon  after  the  sentence  of  death  had  been  pronounced, 
Thomas  Adams,  son  of  the  President,  waited  upon  Mr.  Lewis, 
one  of  the  counsel  of  Fries,  and  told  him  that  his  father 
wished  to  know  the  points  and  authorities  upon  which  he  and 
Mr.  Dallas  had  intended  to  rely  in  case  they  had  defended 
him  upon  the  second  trial.  The  Attorney-General  of  the 
United  States  made  a  like  request,  and,  at  their  solicitation, 
Messrs.  Dallas  and  Lewis  made  a  full  statement  of  the  points 
of  the  case,  which  was  sent  to  the  President  on  or  before 
May  19.  About  this  time  a  change  took  place  in  the 
Cabinet,  and  the  President  was  thus  deprived  of  a  portion  of 
his  Constitutional  advisers  ;  and  when  the  question  again  came 
up  there  were  only  three  persons  to  consult  with. 

On  May  20,  he  submitted  to  his  Cabinet  a  series  of  thir 
teen  questions,  which  indicate  his  leaning  to  the  side  of 
clemency.  Mr.  Walcott  remained  firmly  of  the  opinion  that 
all  three  of  the  leaders  in  the  insurrection,  Fries,  Heaney  and 
Getman,  should  be  executed,  which  was  called  for  to  inspire 
the  well  disposed  with  confidence  in  the  government,  and  the 
malevolent  with  terror.  The  other  ministers  believed'  that 
the  execution  of  Fries,  alone,  would  be  sufficient  to  show  the 
power  of  the  law  to  punish  evil  doers  ;  but  rather  than  that 
all  three  should  be  released,  they  were  in  favor  of  the  execu 
tion  of  the  whole  of  them.  Mr.  Adams  appears  to  have  acted 
upon  his  own  judgment,  and  took  the  responsibility  of  the 
measure  without  the  concurrence  of  his  Cabinet.  Having 
satisfied  his  own  mind  that  it  was  a  case  in  which  the  execu 
tive  clemency  could  be  exercised  with  good  effect,  and  that 
the  great  excitement,  prevailing  in  the  country,  would  be 


THE   FRIES    REBELLION.  135 

much  more  readily  allayed  by  mercy  than  the  opposite  course, 
he  determined  to  grant  an  unconditional  pardon  to  all 
the  prisoners.  For  this  purpose  he  caused  to  be  issued  the 
following  : 

"PROCLAMATION." 

"  BY     JOHN      ADAMS,    PRESIDENT     OF     THE     UNITED     STATES 

OF   AMERICA." 

"  PHILADELPHIA,  May  23." 

"  WHEREAS,  The  late  wicked  and  treasonable  insurrection 
against  the  just  authorities  of  the  United  States,  of  sundry 
persons  in  the  counties  of  Northampton,  Montgomery  and 
Bucks,  in  the  State  of  Pennsylvania,  in  the  year  1799,  having 
been  speedily  suppressed  without  any  of  the  calamities  usual 
ly  attending  rebellion,  whereupon  peace,  order,  and  submis 
sion  to  the  laws  of  the  United  States  were  restored  in  the 
aforesaid  counties,  and  the  ignorant,  misguided  and  misin 
formed  in  the  counties  have  returned  to  a  proper  sense  of 
their  duty;  whereby  it  is  become  unnecessary  for  the  public 
good  that  any  future  prosecutions  should  be  commenced  or 
carried  on  against  any  person  or  persons,  by  reason  of  their 
being  concerned  in  the  said  insurrection  ;  wherefore  be  it 
known  that  I,  John  Adams,  President  of  the  United  States  of 
America,  have  granted,  and  by  these  presents  do  grant,  a  full 
free  and  absolute  pardon,  to  all  and  every  person  or  persons 
concerned  in  the  said  insurrection,  excepting  as  hereinafter 
excepted,  of  all  felonies,  misdemeanors  and  other  crimes  by 
them  respectively  done  or  committed  against  the  United 
States;  in  either  of  the  said  counties,  before  the  I2th  day  of 
March,  in  the  year  1799;  excepting  and  excluding  therefrom 
any  person  who  now  standeth  indicted  or  convicted  of  any 
treason,  misprison  of  treason,  or  other  offence  against  the 
United  States ;  whereby  remedying  and  releasing  unto  all 
persons,  except  as  before  excepted,  all  pains  and  penalties  in 
curred,  or  supposed  to  be  incurred  for,  or  on  account  of  the 
premises.  Given  under  my  hand  and  the  seal  of  the  United 
States  of  America,  at  the  city  of  Philadelphia,  this  Twenty- 
first  day  of  May,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  Eighteen  Hundred, 
and  of  the  Independence  of  the  said  United  States,  the 
twenty-fourth.  (Signed)  "JOHN  ADAMS." 


136  THE   FRIES    REBELLION. 

This  proclamation,  as  will  be  noticed,  did  not  embrace  the- 
cases  of  Fries,  Ileany  and  Getman,  already  under  sentence, 
and  a  special  pardon  was  made  out  for  them  a  few  days  after 
ward,  which  struck  the  fetters  from  their  limbs  and  set  them 
free.  The  biographer  of  John  Adams  states  that  "  the  Cabi 
net  had  been  consulted  at  every  step,  but  nevertheless,  when 
the  President  ordered  the  pardons  made  out  the  next  day,  for 
all  the  offenders,  the  disaffected  members  viewed  the  Act 
with  disappointment,  and  Mr.  Adams  was  charged  with  in 
consistency,  and  having  been  governed  by  personal  motives 
for  the  Act.  It  was  said  to  be  a  '  fatal  concession  to  his 
enemies,'  as  the  Act  was  '  popular  in  Pennsylvania.'  Such 
was  the  tone  of  the  disappointed  Federalists  who  saw  in  it 
another  departure  from  the  policy  they  would  have  intro 
duced  into  the  federal  government." 


Rebellion 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

Conclusion. 

The  action  of  President  Adams,  in  pardoning  Fries,  Haney 
and  Getman,  was  the  cause  of  much  dissention  in  the  Cabinet* 
and,  between  him  and  his  political  friends,  it  engendered  a 
bitterness  of  feeling  that  was  never  entirely  obliterated.  So 
far  as  official  action  was  concerned,  the  act  of  pardon  closed 
the  drama  of  the  "  Rebellion,"  and  removed  it  from  further 
consideration.  This  final  disposition  of  the  affair,  however, 
did  not  have  the  effect  of  taking  it  out  of  politics,  but,  for  a 
number  of  years  afterward,  it  was  made  a  standing  text,  par 
ticularly  in  eastern  Pennsylvania,  for  philipics  against  the 
Federal  party.  In  the  campaign  which  soon  followed,  be 
tween  Mr.  Jefferson1  and  John  Adams,  it  was  used  with  tre 
mendous  effect  against  the  latter,  and  assisted  very  materially 
in  hurling  him  and  his  friends  from  power.  It  was  one  of  the 
leading  causes  which  produced  the  great  political  revolution 

1  Thomas  Jefferson,  third  President  of  the  United  States,  was  born  April  3,  1743,  at 
Shadwell,  Abermarle  county,  Virginia.  He  was  graduated  from  Williams'  and  Mary's 
College,  1762,  and  at  that  early  day  was  noted  for  his  scholarship  in  languages.  He 
studied  law  with  George  Wythe,  then  at  the  head  of  the  Virginia  Bar,  in  whom  he 
found  a  friend  through  life,  and  was  admitted  to  the  Bar,  1767.  He  would  have  made 
a  great  lawyer  had  he  continued  in  the  profession,  but  he  naturally  inclined  to  politics. 
He  was  elected  to  the  House  of  Burgesses,  1768,  and  continued  a  member  until  it  was 
closed  by  the  Revolution.  When  the  oppression  of  Parliament  led  the  colonies  to  throw 
off  the  yoke  of  Great  Britain,  Jefferson  threw  himself  into  the  contest  with  all  his  vigor 
and  zeal.  We  need  not  recount  his  subsequent  distinguished  career.  The  authorship  cf 
the  Declaration  of  Independence,  if  he  had  done  nothing  else,  would  make  his  name 
immortal. 

(137) 


1 38  THE    FRIES    REBELLION. 

in  this  State  in  1800,  and  the  Federal  par^y  never  recovered 
from  tlv.;  odium  it  entailed  upon  it.  We  remember  when  the 
names  of  Fries,  Haney  and  Getman  were  mingled  in  our  local 
county  politics  ;  and  more  than  one  Democrat,  in  Bucks  county, 
owed  his  elevation  to  office  to  the  skillful  use  made  of  the 
events  growing  out  of  the  house-tax  law  of  1/98. 

The  part  Mr.  Adams  took,  in  the  matter  of  pardoning  the 
insurgents,  wa;  alike  creditable  to  his  head  and  heart,  and 
tends  to  remove,  in  some  degree,  the  stigma  his  approval  of 
the  Alien  and  Sedition  law,  and  the  House  Tax  fastened 
upon  his  Administration.  That  he  was  moved  to  it  by  the 
best  of  motives,  and  prompted  by  the  dictates  of  a  kind  heart, 
there  can  be  no  question,  and  it  is  equally  certain  the  Act  was 
his  own,  and  against  the  wish  and  advice  of  his  Cabinet.  He 
has  left  behind  him  a  record  of  the  satisfaction  it  gave  him. 
In  his  tenth  letter,  in  the  Boston  Patriot,  of  May  17,  1809,  re 
marking  on  his  responsibility  for  all  his  executive  acts,  and 
that  it  was  his  right  and  duty  to  be  governed  by  his  own 
judgment,  although  in  direct  conflict  with  the  advice  of  all  his 
ministers,  he  says:  "  This  was  my  situation  in  more  than  one 
instance.  It  had  been  so  in  the  nomination  of  Mr.  Gerry  ;  it 
was  afterwards  so  in  the  pardon  of  Fries  ;  two  measures  that 
I  recollect  with  infinite  satisfaction,  and  which  will  console  me 
in  my  last  hour." 

It  was  suspected  at  the  time  of  the  disturbance,  that  more 
prominent  men  than  the  unfortunates  who  fell  into  the  hands 
of  the  Federal  authorities  were  at  the  bottom  of  the  rebellion  ; 
and  even  the  names  of  some  of  the  leaders  of  the  Federal 
party  were  connected  with  it.  After  the  trial,  John  Fries 
told  a  Mr.  Wood,  a  clerk  in  one  of  the  Departments,  and  who 
was  also  clerk  of  the  prison,  "  that  great  men  were  at  the  bot 
tom  of  this  business."  Oliver  Wolcott,  in  a  letter  to  John 
Adams,  dated  Philadelphia,  May  11,  1799,  states  that  B.  Mc- 
Clerachan,  a  member  of  the  Assembly  of  Pennsylvania,  was 
certainly  an  agitator  among  the  insurgents.  One  authority 
upon  the  subject  says : 

"  Much  of  the  blame  attending  upon  this  disturbance  is  cast 


THE   FRIES    REBELLION1.  139 

upon  Mr.  Sitgreaves,  formerty  a  member  of  Congress  from  the 
Bucks  district,  and  Eyerly,  both  disappointed  politicians.  The 
former  followed  the  march  of  the  troops  and  appears  to  have 
been  busy  in  hunting  up  persons  who  had  opposed  the  law. 
Eyerly  was  defeated  at  the  election  that  fall.  Fiies  was  a 
Federalist,  and  ardent  supporter  of  John  Adams'  administra 
tion,  on  which  account  it  is  supposed  he  was  not  afraid  of  an 
arrest,  believing  that  his  Federal  friends  would  not  molest 
him.  Probably  Sitgreaves  and  Eyerly  are  those  to  whom 
Fries  refers,  that  more  prominent  men  were  at  the  bottom  of 
it.  It  is  hinted  that  they  were  at  the  bottom  of  it  and  left 
Fries  in  the  lurch.  This  is  given  as  the  reason  that  the 
Federal  members  of  the  Legislature  opposed  the  institution  of 
any  inquiry  into  the  cause  of  the  disturbance.  It  is  said  it 
was  the  desire  of  the  Federalists  to  bring  odium  on  the  Re 
publicans  by  ordering  federal  troops  into  the  county  to  put 
down  the  rebellion." 

However  this  may  be — we  mean  the  participation  of  rr,en  of 
prominence  in  the  disturbance,  we  think  the  matter  is  now 
pretty  clearly  established,  that  the  affair  had  given  to  it  much 
greater  importance  than  it  merited.  We  are  also  well  convinced, 
had  the  proper  steps  been  taken  to  quiet  the  agitation, 
through  the  agency  of  the  local  authorities  there  would  never 
have  been  any  need  of  the  interposition  of  the  Federal  au 
thorities.  In  his  opinion  we  are  sustained  by  some  of  the 
actors  in  the  scenes  that  grew  out  of  it.  Among  others,  an 
officer  of  the  army,  writing  from  camp,  while  it  lay  in  Bucks 
county,  says  :  "  I  need  not  add  after  what  I  have  before  written 
to  you,  that  every  hour's  experience  confirms  me  more  and  more 
that  this  expedition  was  not  only  unnecessary,  but  violently 
absurd.  I  can  take  upon  me  to  assert,  that  excepting  in  the 
rash  act  of  rescuing  the  people  under  arrest  from  the  Mar 
shall,  there  has  not  been  even  a  desire  of  resistance  manifested, 
and  the  most  marked  censure  of  many  persons  now  in 
custody.  I  do  verily  believe  that  a  sergeant  and  six  men 
might  have  performed  all  the  service  for  which  we  have  been 
assembled  at  so  heavy  an  expense  to  the  United  States,  and 


140  THE    FRIES    REBELLION. 

with  such  a   loss   of    important    time  to    us,  especially    those 
who  are  in  the  mercantile  line." 

This  seems  to  have  been  the  opinion  of  all  who  were  ac 
quainted  with  the  whole  affair,  except  those  violent  partisans 
whose  prejudices  were  too  strong  and  too  bitter  to  permit 
them  to  jud^e  the  case  with  fairness.  The  whole  cost  of  the 
expedition  to  the  United  States  is  said  to  have  been  $80,000. 

When  Fries  was  liberated  there  was  great  rejoicing  through 
out  the  country,  but  the  anti-Federalists  failed  to  give  Mr. 
Adams  credit  for  his  act  of  mercy  and  clemency.  As  would 
naturally  be  the  case,  they  attributed  the  act,  which  he  said 
"would  console  him  in  his  last  hours, "to  sinister  motives,  and, 
if  anything,  they  increased  the  bitterness  of  their  attack  upon 
him  and  his  administration.  Such,  however,  is  the  history  of 
political  parties  the  world  over,  arid  we  are  not  surprised  to 
find  no  departure  therefrom  in  the  exciting  times  of  '98 
and  '99. 

The  subsequent  history  of  Fries  is  brief  and  void  of  interest. 
Upon  his  release  from  imprisonment  he  went  directly  to  the 
humble  home  which  had  sheltered  him  before  he  became  so 
famous,  and  again  entered  into  the  ordinary  current  of  life. 
He  resumed  his  old  avocation  of  vendue  crying,  and,  as 
before,  in  company  with  his  little  dog  traversed  the  county 
back  and  forth,  crying  the  sales  of  his  neighbors  and  acquaint 
ance.  The  events  of  the  "  Rebellion"  left  some  bitterness  be 
hind  it  took  years  to  heal,  and,  from  time  to  time,  this  linger 
ing  ill-feeling  broke  out  in  that  section  of  the  county.  There 
was  much  hostility  against  Penrose,  who  piloted  the  troops  to 
Bunker  Hill  when  they  captured  Fries,  and  the  friends  of  the 
latter  hardly  ever  forgave  him.  A  few  years  after  his  return 
home  Conrad  Marks  and  his  friends  came  down  to  Quaker- 
town  to  whip  Penrose,  who,  with  a  number  of  his  neighbors, 
was  breaking  the  roads  filled  with  snow  drifts.  Marks  mis 
took  his  man,  got  hold  of  a  nephew  of  the  one  he  sought  and 
received  a  good  whipping  for  his  trouble.  It  is  also  related 
that  soon  after  his  pardon  the  friends  of  Fries,  who  lived  near 
Sumneytown,  Montgomery  county,  raised  a  Liberty  Pole, 
rather  as  a  mark  of  exultation  over  the  defeat  of  the  schemes 


THE   FRIES   REBELLION.  14! 

of  the  Federalists.  John  Rodrock,  the  same  who  had  re 
ceived  indignity  at  the  hands  of  Fries,  was  in  Philadelphia  at 
the  time  attending  market,  and,  on  his  return  sent  his  hired 
man  to  cut  the  pole  down,  which  he  accomplished.  The  peo 
ple  soon  got  wind  of  it  and  pursued  and  caught  the  party  be 
fore  they  had  crossed  the  line  into  Bucks.  They  placed  some 
penalty  upon  them,  but  the  nature  of  it  we  have  not  learned.2 

In  a  previous  chapter  we  mentioned  that  John  Fries  had 
done  his  country  some  service  during  the  Revolutionary  War. 
At  that  time  he  was  living  at  Charlestown,  Milford  township, 
He  was  in  active  service  during  the  war.  Between  these 
periods,  and  while  spending  some  time  at  home,  he  was  the 
hero  of  a  spirited  affair.  While  the  enemy  occupied  Phila 
delphia  a  party  of  British  light  horse,  on  a  foraging  expedi' ion 
in  the  upper  end  of  Bucks  county,  were  returning  to  the  city 
through  Charlestown  in  the  night.  His  wife  hearing  the  clat 
ter  of  hoofs,  got  up  and  looked  out  of  the  window  just  before 
daylight,  and  saw  the  troopers  marching  by  with  a  large  num 
ber  of  cattle  in  charge.  She  said  to  her  husband,  "  Why, 
John  here  goes  a  troop  of  Light  Horse  all  dressed  in  red  ;  and 
I  guess  they  must  be  the  British."  Fries  got  up  immediately 
and  dressed,  and  went  first  to  the  houses  of  Hoover  and  Wy- 
kert,  near  neighbors,  whom  he  awoke  and  informed  of  what 
was  going  on.  He  then  went  around  the  neighborhood  and 
aroused  the  people  whom  he  headed  and,  with  them,  went  in 
pursuit  of  the  retreating  British.  They  overtook  the  soldiers 
near  the  Spring  House  tavern,  and  compelled  them  to  re 
linquish  the  cattle  and  hasten  their  march  to  Philadelphia. 
The  cattle  were  driven  back  and  returned  to  their  owners. 

John  Fries  continued  to  reside   in  Milford   township  to   the 


2  The  war  on  "  Liberty  Poles,"  made  by  the  Federalists  of  1800,  is  verified  by  several 
persons.  Jesse  Nace,  Philadelphia,  writes  us  as  follows  on  the  subject,  while  this 
volume  was  being  prepared  for  the  press:  "Your  story  of  the  unwritten  history  of 
Bucks  county,  read  before  the  Historical  Society  of  Penna.,  and  printed  in  the  Philadel 
phia  Times,  revived  in  my  mind,  the  sayings  of  my  father,  Henry  Nace,  who  participat 
ed  in  that  event,  that  the  people  had  erected  '  Liberty  Poles'  and  the  soldiers  (light 
horsemen)  cut  them  down.  I  saw  no  illusion  in  your  address  to  this  fact,  and  if  father 
were  correct,  this  addition  to  your  paper  would  substantially  strengthen  it.  Father  was 
born  in  Tinicum,  March,  1777,  consequently  he  was  22  years  old  when  the  occurrences  of 
1798-99  took  place.  He  said  his  first  vote  was  for  Jefferson  for  President.'  " 


142  THE   FRIES    REBELLION. 

day  of  his  death,  which  took  place  in  i8i8.3  He  was  buried 
in  the  grave  yard  at  Charlestown,  where  his  remains  now  lie, 
without  a  stone  to  mark  their  resting  place.  The  allegation 
that  Fries  opened  a  tin  store  in  Philadelphia  after  his  pardon 
is  wholly  without  foundation.  Such  a  statement  is  found 
in  a  note  at  the  conclusion  of  the  published  account  of  the 
trial,  and  was  probably  inserted  there  on  some  rumor  which 
prevailed  at  that  day,  without  the  author  taking  the  trouble 
to  satisfy  himself  of  its  truth.  When  we  visited  his  son  Daniel, 
we  questioned  him  particularly  upon  this  point,  and  he  as 
sured  us  that  his  father  returned  to  Milford  township,  where 
he  continued  to  follow  his  old  occupation  to  the  day  of  his 
death.  The  same  was  stated  to  us  by  some  of  the  old  resi 
dents  of  Quakertown,  who  knew  him  well  in  their  younger 
days.  At  his  decease,  his  son  Daniel  assumed  the  occupation 
of  a  vendue  cryer,  which  he  followed  until  he  removed  to 
near  Sumneytown,  where  he  now  resides  at  the  age  of  nearly 
80  years.*  Another  son,  Solmon,  lived  at  Whitemarsh,  and 
both  of  them  left  numerous  descendants.  The  father  of  John 
Fries,  wrhose  name  was  Simon,  came  from  Wales,  and  first  set 
tled  in  Maryland,  but  afterward  removed  to  Montgomery 
county,  in  this  State,  where  he  died. 

We  now  conclude  this  historic  episode  of  Bucks  county, 
and  take  leave  of  the  reader.  In  writing  the  preceding  ac 
count  of  the  "  Fries  Rebellion"  we  were  influnced  by  two 
considerations  ;  the  first  a  desire  to  give  a  correct  account  of 
what  was  an  important  affair  in  its  day,  and  hitherto  but  im 
perfectly  understood ;  the  second,  a  desire  to  do  justice  to 


3  From  an  examination  of  the  register's  office  at  Doylestown,  Bucks  county,  it  appears 
John  Fries  died  about  the  last  of  February,  1818,  at  the  age  of  70.  His  will  is  dated 
June  6,  1815,  and  probated  March  i,  1818.  At  the  time  of  his  death  he  lived  in  Lower 
Milford  township,  Bucks  county.  His  two  sors,  John  and  Solomon,  were  his  executors. 
The  will  mentions  two  pieces  of  real  estate,  a  lot  of  14  acres  in  Lower  Milford,  and  one 
of  3  acres  in  Marlborough  township,  Montgomery  county.  The  names  of  his  surviving 
children  given  in  the  will,  are  Solomon,  John,  Daniel,  Sarah,  Margaret  and  Catharine. 
The  wife's  name  was  Margaret.  After  paying  his  debts  and  funeral  expenses  the  residue 
of  this  estate  was  divided  among  his  children,  "  share  and  share  alike."  As  we  have 
been  unable  to  find  the  settlement  of  his  estate,  we  are  ignorant  of  its  amount. 

*i858. 


THE   FRIES    REBELLION.  143 

those  who  played  the  leading  parts.     If  we  have  succeeded  in 
one,  or  both  desires,  we  have  accomplished  our  purpose. 

Of  John  Fries  we  have  formed  a  more  favorable  opinion 
than  we  entertained  when  we  commenced  writing.  We  be 
lieve  him  to  have  been  an  earnest  and  honest,  but  misguided 
man,  who  was  moved  to  the  course  he  took  by  what  he  con 
sidered  his  duty.  The  conduct  of  Mr.  Adams  shows  him  to 
have  been  actuated  by  a  sense  of  duty,  as  he  understood  it. 
and  the  pardon  of  the  "  insurgents"  rescues  his  memory  from 
some  of  the  charges  brought  against  him.  He  was,  no  doubt, 
influenced  to  some  extent,  by  the  high  political  excitement  of 
the  day,  but  he  cannot  justly  be  accused  of  cruelty  in  the 
share  he  had  in  the  troubles  of  the  period.  All  the  actors 
in  these  scenes  have  long  since  passed  beyond  the  bar  of  pub 
lic  opinion,  and  their  acts  should  now  be  judged  with  fairness 
and  candor  from  the  standpoint  of  History,  whose  chiefest 
honor  is  impartiality. 

[THE  END.] 


APPENDIX. 


Rebellion 


*Jacob  Dice's  Letter. 

The  following  letter,  written  by  the  late  Jacob  Rice,  of 
Bethlehem,  Pa.,  to  the  late  John  W.  Jordan,  of  the  Historical 
Society  of  Pennsylvania,  under  date  of  April  6,  1860,  is  of  in 
terest  in  connection  with  the  subject  matter  of  this  volume. 
As  he  was  conversant  with  the  outbreak,  and  the  causes  lead 
ing  up  to  it,  his  opinion  is  entitled  to  weight  : 

"  The  assertion  made  by  John  Fries,  that  'great  men  were 
at  the  bottom  of  this  business,'  was  no  doubt  correct,  and  it 
would  not  be  very  difficult,  at  this  late  day,  to  point  out  the 
names  of  some  of  the  individuals  to  whom  he  alluded.  Mr. 
Davis'  inference  in  this  matter,  so  far  as  the  late  Messrs.  Sit- 
greaves  and  Eyerly  are  supposed  to  be  concerned,  is,  to  my 
certain  knowledge,  entirely  erroneous,  and  I  much  regret  that 
he  has,  no  doubt,  unintentionally  placed  their  characters  in  a 
false  position,  which  they  do  not  deserve.  This  unfortunate 
affair  happened  at  a  period  of  great  political  excitement,  and 
I  do  not  believe  that  a  strictly  impartial  history  can  at  this 
time  be  furnished.  The  sources  from  which  Mr.  Davis  has 
drawn  this  information  appear  to  me  to  have  been  too  favor 
able  to  the  party  opposing  the  measures  of  the  United  States 
Government,  as  much  of  the  blame,  according  to  his  state 
ment,  is  laid  to  the  charge  of  the  Assessors,  etc.,  which  maybe 
correct  as  it  regards  Bucks  county.  In  Northampton  county 
such  a  charge  cannot  be  sustained,  Mr.  Eyerly  having  selected 
the  best,  most  discreet  and  honorable  men  to  be  found  in  his 
district  as  his  assistants.  The  rebellion  was  mainly  confined 
to  the  township  of  Milford,  in  Bucks,  and  the  townships  of 

(3) 


4  THE   FRIES   REBELLION. 

Upper  and  Lower  Milford  and  Salisbury,  in  Northampton, 
now  Lehigh  county.  There  was  much  dissatisfaction  with  the 
tax  law  in  the  townships  north  and  west  of  the  Lehigh,  yet  I 
do  not  know  of  a  single  armed  man  that  came  to  the  rescue 
from  any  point  north  of  the  Lehigh  river. 

"  My  impression  has  always  been  that  if  Colonel  Nichols  had 
not  given  up  his  prisoners,  Bethlehem  would  have  been  burn 
ed  and  razed  to  the  ground.  Such  were  the  threats  which  in 
duced  Joseph  Horsfield  and  others  to  prevail  on  the  Marshal 
to  yield." 


Rebellion. 


Last   Will 


Testamer\t   of 


Fries. 


In  the  name  of  God  Amen,  I,  John  Fries,  of  Lower  Milford 
township,  in  the  county  of  Bucks,  State  of  Pennsylvania,  Yeo 
man,  though  reduced  to  a  low  state  of  bodily  strength,  yet  be 
ing  of  sound  mind,  memory  and  understanding,  (blessed  be 
Almighty  God  for  the  same)  and  considering  the  uncertainty 
of  transitory  life,  think  it  necessary  to  dispose  of  those  world 
ly  goods  that  God,  in  mercy,  hath  given  me  to  enjoy,  by  this, 
my  last  will  and  testament,  in  a  manner  hereafter  expressed, 
that  is  to  say,  first  of  all,  I  will  that  all  my  just  debts  and 
funeral  expenses  be  well  and  truly  paid  by  my  executors, 
hereafter  named,  as  soon  after  my  decease  as  conveniently 
may  be,  and  that  as  soon  as  possible  a  true  inventory  and  ap 
praisement  may  be  taken  of  all  my  movables  and  effects,  out 
standing  debts  and  further  personal  property,  which  said  ef 
fects  and  property  together,  with  my  real  estate  (except  tho^e 
goods  taken  by  my  wife)  I  do  order  and  direct  my  executors 
to  sell  and  dispose  by  public  vendue,  as  quick  as  possible, 
after  my  decease,  as  may  be  convenient  : 

Item:  I  give  and  bequeath  unto  my  loving  wife  Margaret 
one  bed  and  bedding,  one  chest,  one  table  and  such  other 
goods  as  my  executors  may  think  necessary  for  her  own  use. 
I  also  give  and  bequeath  to  my  said  wife  forty  dollars  yearly, 
during  her  natural  life,  which  is  to  be  paid  to  her  by  my  ex 
ecutors  out  of  my  estate  yearly  and  every  year  as  long  as  she 
may  live,  and  in  case  there  should  not  be  enough  for  her 

(5) 


6  THE   FRIES   REBELLION. 

maintainance,  my  will  is  that  my  said  wife  shall  have  as  much 
of  my  estate   as    is  necessary   for  her    support.     Item  :   I    give 
and  bequeath  unto  my  grandson,  Samuel,  (a  lad  that  now  lives 
with  me)  the  just  and  full  sum  of    forty  dollars  gold  and  silver 
money,  to  be  paid  to    a  guardian  (whom    I  shall    hereafter  ap 
point)  in  one  year  after  my  departure.     Item:   I   give  and    be 
queath  to  my  two  other  grandchildren,  the  heirs  of  my  daugh 
ter  Catharine,  deceased,  (the  late  wife  of   George   Gable)  one 
share  of  my  estate  their  mother  would  have  become  heir  to,  if 
she  had   been   living)  to   be   paid  to   their  guardian  (whom    I 
shall  appoint)  at  a  convenient  time  for  making  the  division   of 
my  estate.     Item:   I  nominate  and   appoint  my  trusty   friend, 
Jacob  Loh,  of    Lower  Milford    township  aforesaid,  sole    guar 
dian  of  these  three  minor  children  above  mentioned,  whom  I  re 
quest  to    receive    the  money  as   above  willed    and  to  put   the 
same  on    interest    in    good    safe    hands,  and  to    pay  the    said 
minors  severally  as  they  arrive  to  the  age  of  twenty-one  years. 
Item:   I    nominate  and   appoint    my  two   sons,  Solomon    and 
John   Fries,  co-executors  of    this  my  last  will  and    testament, 
giving  them  full  power  and  absolute  authority  to  sell  and  dis 
pose  of    the   lot    whereon  I    live,  situated    in   Lower    Milford 
aforesaid,  containing    fourteen    acres,  (be   the   same    more    or 
less)  with  all  the  buildings  and  appurtenances  thereunto  belong 
ing,  or  in  any  wise  appertaining,  and   another  lot,  situated    in 
Marlborough  township,  Montgomery  county,  containing  three 
acres  of  land  (be  it   more  or  less)  giving  them  full   power  and 
absolute  authority  to  make  and  execute  good   and  firm   titles, 
good  and  effective  conveyances  in  law   on  the  same  unto  such 
person,  or  persons  that   may  or  shall   purchase  the   same,  and 
unto  his  or  their  heirs  and   assigns  forever,  as  I  myself  might, 
or  could,  do  were    I  living,  and  that  as  soon    after  my  decease 
as  may  be  convenient,  and  the   money  arising  from  the  said 
sales,  as  well  as  from  my  personal  estate  that  may  be   remain 
ing  after  my  just  debts  are  paid  and  legacies  aforesaid.    Item  : 
I  give  and  bequeath  unto  my  seven  children,  to  wit,  Solomon, 
John,  Daniel,  Elizabeth,  Sarah,  Margaret  and  Catharine,  to  be 
equally  divided  between  them,  share  and  share  alike,  but  the 
share  of  my  daughter  Catharine,  who  has  departed  this  life,  is 


THE    FRIES   REBELLION.  7 

to  be  paid  to  her  two  children,  or  their  guardian,  as  above  di 
rected.  Finally,  I  do  revoke,  annul,  and  make  void  all  former 
and  other  wills  by  me  heretofore  made  or  declared  to  be  made, 
either  by  word  of  mouth  or  in  writing,  ratifying  and 
confirming  this  only  written,  on  both  sides  of  this  sheet 
of  paper  to  be  my  last.  In  witness  whereof,  I  have 
hereunto  set  my  hand  and  seal  the  sixth  day  of  June,  in  the 
year  of  our  Lord  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  fifteen. 

(Signed)  JOHN  FRIES.     [SEAL.] 

Signed,  sealed  and  acknowledged  by  the  testator,  as  his  last 
will  and  testament,  in  the  presence  of  us,  the  hereunto  sub 
scribed  witnesses,  who,  at  his  request,  have  set  our  names, 
Morgan  Custard,  Wm.  Getman,  Bucks  county,  Pa.,  on  the  Qth 
day  of  March  1818. 

William  Getman,  one  of  the  subscribing  witnesses  to  the 
foregoing  writing,  purporting  to  be  the  last  will  and  testa 
ment  of  John  Fries,  deceased,  appeared  before  me,  and  on  this 
solemn  affirmation,  taken  and  subscribed,  did  declare  and  say 
that  he  was  present  and  saw  John  Fries,  the  testator,  sign, 
seal  and  acknowledge  the  same  to  be  his  last  will  and 
testament,  and  that,  at  the  time  of  his  so  doing,  he  was  of 
sound  mind  and  memory,  and  of  deposing,  understanding,  as 
he,  this  affirment  believed,  and,  that  at  the  same  time,  this  af- 
firment  saw  Morgan  Custard,  the  other  subscribing  witness, 
sign  his  name  as  a  witness,  at  the  request  and  in  the  presence 
of  the  testator,  and  further  that  the  name  William  Getman 
above  is  of  his,  this  affirment's  own  proper  handwriting,  and 
further  saith  not.  William  Getman,  affirmed  and  subscribed 
before  me,  day  and  date  above. 

(Signed)  JOHN  PUGH,  Register. 

Bucks  County  ss.  Be  it  remembered,  that  on  the  9th  of 
March,  1818,  the  foregoing  last  will  and  testament  of  John 
Fries  was  duly  proven,  when  letters  testamentary  thereof 
were  granted  unto  Soloman  Fries  and  John  Fries,  the  ex 
ecutors  therein  named,  they  having  first  been  duly  sworn, 
well  and  truly  to  administer  the  same.  Witness  my  hand  and 
seal  of  office.  (Signed)  JOHN  PUGH,  Register. 


INDEX. 


THE   FRIES   REBELLION. 


II 


Adams,  John,  3,  7,  29,  70,  71,  115  ;  to 
Wolcott,  132,  12,  14,  17,  133,  137;  Ac 
tion  Creditable,  .138;  Informs  Him 
self,  133;  Acted  on  his  Own  Judgment, 
134;  Adams' Administration  of,  4,  n. 

Adams,  Charles  Francis,  132. 

Adams,  Thomas,  134. 

Administration,  14. 

Advertiser^  The  Daily,  80,  92. 

Adler,  Reading,  112. 

Allentown,  Commissioners  Meet  at,  39 ; 
The  Army  Marches  to,  in. 

Army,  Continental,  i,  10. 

Army,  Federal,  82. 

Army,  Review  of,  108. 

Artman,  Henry,  72. 

Artillery,  U..S.,  8'. 

Arrests  Made,  Number  and  Names,  104. 

Army  Officer,  Letter  from,  139. 

Authorities,  Federal,  55,  69,  72. 

Assessors,  3,  6,  17,  20;  Assessors  Give  up 
Assessments,  35. 

Assessment  Rates  of,  3. 

Assessments,  16. 


Balliott,  21,  39;  at  Trexlertown    Meeting, 

45- 

Balliott,  Colonel,  48. 
Balliott,  Mr.,  59,  72. 
Barnett,  William,  59,  61. 
Barnett,  John,  59. 
Barnett,  William,  62. 
Baker,  Dr.,  68. 
Baynton,  Adjutant-General    Peter,  76,  77  ; 

Issues  Order  for  Troops,  77. 
Bethlehem,  Marshal    Returned  to,  48 ;  50, 

5i,  53,  54,  55- 
Bethlehem,  houth,  56,  57 
Bethlehem,  53,  57,  58,    59,  60,  61,  62,  67, 

69,  72- 

Bridge,  Lehigh,  6. 
Brunner,  Margaret,  8. 
Brunner,  David,  8. 
Brandywine,  53. 
Brown,  General,  59. 
Bucks,  69,  72. 
Blues,  Macpherson,  78. 
Bristol,  Troops  Ordered  to,  78. 
Bucks  County,  Troops  from,  77,  113. 
Bunker  Hill,  93. 

c 

Camp  Hill,  10. 

Cavalry,  Troops,  76. 

Carlisle,  79. 

Cabinet,  Changes  in,  134. 

Campaign,  Cost  of,  140. 

Chase,   Judge,  Warrants    Returnable   to, 

47 ;  Conduct  of,  124  ;    Addresses   Fries, 

126,  133 

Chapman,  Seth,  5. 
Chapman,  James,  6,  16,  17,  19,  21,  22,  22, 

25,  26,  27  105  ;  Sketch  of,  106,  107. 
Charlestown,  9,  12,  15. 
Childs,  Cephas,   6,  22,  16,  25,    26,  27,    28, 

2Pi  3°»   3T,  32,   33  ;  Threatened   by  In 


surgents,  34. 

Clark,  Samuel,  6,  16)  17,  19,  25,  26,  22,68. 
Court,  U.  S.,  20,  32. 
Cline,  John,  57. 
Congress,  2  ;  Act  of,  July  9,  1798,  3,  3,  4, 

15.  21,  27;  Power  to  Lay  Taxes,  83. 
Commissioners,  5,  6. 
Company,  Captain  Mosher's,  80. 
'Contingent,  Northampton,  57. 
Constitution,  The,  70. 
County,  Bucks,  2,  5,    7,  8,  13,    16,  54,    67, 

73,  75,  76,  82. 
County,  Northampton,   2,  4,    5,  7,    12,  13, 

34,  40,  48,  51,  54,  62,  69,    70,  72,  73,    75, 

75,  76>  77,  82,  113. 
County,  Montgomery,  45,  8,  16,  26,  69,  73  ; 

Troops  from,  77,  75,  76,  81,  82. 
County,  Berks,  4,  5. 
County,  Wayne,  5. 
County,  Lehigh,  51. 
County,  Luzerne,  5. 
County,  Lancaster,  75. 
County,     Cumberland,     Cavalry    Ordered 

from,  78. 

Contingent,  Northampton,  61,  62. 
Colonies,  American,  9. 
Crooked  Billet,  10. 
Cortez,  97. 
Creek,  Boggy,  8,  9. 
Creek,  Swamp,  97. 


Davidson,  Samuel,  5. 

Davis,  68. 

Dallas,  Alex.  J.,  117;  Dallas'  Defence  of 
Fries,  121  ;  Dallas'  and  Lewis,'  State 
ment  of  Fries'  Case,  134  ;  Withdraw, 

134- 

Democracy,  20. 
Delaware,  The,  51,  53. 
DeKalbe,  Baron,  53. 
Dixon,  Mr.,  60. 

Districts,  German,  Inhabitants  of,  105. 
Dogs,  Homer's  Hero's,  97. 
Dunlap,  Captain,  77. 


Easton,  42,  59. 

Eberhart,  Sent  to  Philadelphia,  99. 

Edwards,  Caleb,  9,  94. 

Edwards,  William,  9,  93. 

Edmonds,  Mr.,   13. 

Edwards,  Jacob  E.,  3. 

Edwards,  Samuel,  95. 

Elliott,  Captain,  51. 

Emaus,  48,  66. 

English,  The,  28. 

Erdman,  Interpreter  for  Witnesses,  119. 

Europe,  2. 

Eyerley,  Jacob,  5,  21,  42  ;  Appointed 
Commissioners,  Northampton,  38;  Di 
vides  Township,  39  ;  Explains  the  Law. 
43  ;  Reads  Petition,  44,  48,  59,  64,  65. 

Eyerley,  Daniel,  51. 

Eyerman,  Accompanies  Marshal  to  Make 
Arrests,  48,  49,  59  ;  Clergyman,  100. 


12 


THE   FRIES   REBELLION. 


Federalists,  61. 

Federalists,  Anti,  61. 

Foulke,  Everhard,  6,  19,  21,  22,  25,  27,  28. 

Frantz,  Zeno,  29. 

Foulke  and  Rodrock,  Messrs.,  30. 

Foulke,  31,  32. 

Frai'.ey,  Colonel,  113. 

Foulke,  Everhard,  121. 

Fox,  John,  6. 

France,  2,  26. 

French,  2. 

Fries,  John,  2,  7,  8,  9  ;  Children  of,  9,  n,  12, 
13,  14,  15,  17,  18,  19,  20,  21,  25f  26,  27,  27,  28, 
29,  3°.  31,  34,  S-2,  54,  57,  62»  63  ;  Captain,  64, 
64,  65,  66,  67,  68,  71,  72  ;  Military  Called 
for,  75,  93 ;  First  Object  of  Capture,  93  ; 
Macpherson,  Head  of,  93  ;  Arrests  of,  94  ; 
Two  Accounts  of  Capture,  95  ;  Fries'  Dog, 
Account  of,  96  ;  Examination  of,  98,  99  ; 
Sent  to  Philadelphia,  99  ;  Betrayed  by 
his  Dog,  97  ;  Trial  of,  115  ;  Indictment  of 
116  ;  Motion  Argued,  118  ;  Sitgreaves 
Opens  Case,  119  ;  Names  of  Jurors,  119  ; 
Pleads  Not  Guilty,  119  ;  Witnesses,  120  ; 
Confession  of,  read,  120  ;  New  Trial 
Granted  to,  123  ;  Sentence  Imposed  on, 
126 ;  Letter  to  his  Children,  127  ; 
Bible  Presented  to,  127 ;  Verdict 
Against,  122  ;  Sympathy  for,  127 ; 
Strong  Feeling  in  Favor  of,  129  ;  Con 
viction  and  Sentence  of,  129  ;  Movement 
for  Pardon  of,  129  ;  Petition  for  Pardon, 
130 ;  Pickering  Favored  Execution  of,  133  ; 
Heaney  and  Getman,  Pardon  of,  136 ;  Par 
don  of,  Engendered  Bad  Feeling  and  En 
tered  Politics,  137;  A  Federalists,  139; 
Subsequent  History  of,  140  ;  Recovers 
Cattle  from  British,  141  ;  Release  Well  Re 
ceived,  141  ;  Death  of,  142  ;  character  of, 
J43- 

Fries,  Daniel,  8  ;  14,  57 ;  Tried  to  Capture, 
97  ;  Death  of,  98,  142. 

Fries,  Jacob,  22,  23,  27,  31. 

Fries,  Solomon,  142. 

G 

Galloway,  Joseph,  8. 

Germans,  2,  28,  67. 

Gerry,  Mr.,  138. 

Getman,  7.  12,  13,  137,  138. 

Green,  Richard,  30. 

Greenmeyer,  in. 

Government,  The,  20,  61. 

Governor,   Message  of  the,   73  ;    To   Make 

due  Inquiry,  74. 
Graber,  James,  17. 
Grant,  Thomas,  Jr.,  5. 
Great  Britain,  9. 
Griffith,  Esquire,  32. 
Griffith,  Mrs.,  32. 

Hager,  Christian,  12. 

Hagersville,  12. 

Heaney,   Frederick,  7,  12  ;  Children    of,  13, 

7i,  *37,  138. 
Heaney,  George,  12. 
Heister,  Colonel.  113. 
Heckewelder,  44. 
Heller,  Meeting  at  House  of,  42. 
Henry,  William,  43. 
Henry,  Judge,  Attends  Meeting  at  Hellers', 

43  ;  Issued  Subpoenas,  45,  46,  59,  65. 
Henry,  Capt.  John,  79  ;  Hamilton,  Views  of, 

133. 
Harper,  Robert  Goodloe,  92. 


Hartman,  Herman,  51. 

Hartzell,  Isaac,  61. 

Helmuth,  Rev.  Chas.    Henry,  Address  of,  87 . 

House-Tax,  Insurgents  Dam  the,  33. 

House,  Jacob  Fries,  28. 

House,  Sisters',  53. 

House,  The  Question  Referred,  74. 

House,  Spring,  81. 

Horsfield,  Mr.,  59,  64,  65. 

Hotel,  Eagle,  51. 

Home,  Assessor,  39. 

Hoover's,  John  and  Jacob,  31,  17,  18,  68. 


Iden,  James  C.,  Better  of,  41. 

Indians,  Mohican,  53. 

Inhabitants,  Distress  of,  no. 

Insurgents,  The,   73  ;  Persued  by  Troops, 

105  ;  Arrested,  106. 
Insurrection,  Western,  73, 134. 
Insurrection,  Whiskey,  i,  10 
Iredell,  Judge,  115  ;  Charge  to   Grand  Jury, 

116, 118. 
Irvine,  Captain,  79. 


Jamison,  John,  31,  67,  68,  121. 
Janeway,  Rev.  Dr.,  127. 
Jarrett,  Captain,  55,  64,  68. 
Jenkinson, Isaac,  5. 
Jury,  Case  Given  to,  122. 
Jurors,  Names  of,  124. 


j    Kachline,  John,  94. 

j     Karackerstown,  Fourteen  Surrender  at,  in. 

I     Kearne  Mr.  40. 

Kennedy,  Captain,  77. 

Klein,  John,  15. 
|    Klein,  Jacob,  19. 

Kline  George,  68. 

Kuyder,  Capt.,  16,  23,  29,  31. 


Lacey,  Gen.  John,  10. 

LaFayette,  53- 

Liberty,  21  ;  Pole  Cut  Down,  no  ;  War  on, 

141. 

Laws,  Alien  and  Sedition,  3,  4,  36,  41,  138. 
Law,  House  Tax,  4. 
Lesher,  Captain,  77. 
Leiper,  Captain,  77,  113. 
Lancaster,  Joseph  R.,  32. 
Lancaster,  79. 

Levering,  Abraham,  65,  70. 
Legislature,  The,  75. 
Lewistown,  18. 
Lee,   Henry,  2. 
Lee's  Division,  53. 
Lewis,  Mr.,  131. 
Light  Horse,  Lancaster,  112. 


Macpherson.General,  8  ;  Brigadier-General, 
76  ;  Designated  to  Command  Troops,  77  ; 
Appointed  Brigadier  U.  S.  A.,  78,  81 ;  Ad 
dress  of,  82  ;  Forewarns  People,  86 ;  Ad 
dress  of,  87 ;  Probably  Marched  with 
Cavalry,  92,  112,  113. 

Marks,  Conrad,  30,  21,  34,  54,  57,  67,  68,  71  ; 
Surrendered,  108. 

Marks,  John,  50 

Massachusetts,  i. 

Marshal  United  States,  50,   54,  58,  59,  60,  62, 


THE   FRIES   REBELLION. 


63,  64,  69,  70  ;  Armed  Force  to  be   Sent 

With,  90. 

Meadow,  Smith's,  97. 
Milford,  Upper  and  Lower,  26,  68,  17,  19,  22, 

Mifflin,  Governor,  73,  76,  80. 
Montgomery,  Captain,  77,  112, 113. 
Morrell,  Captain,  77. 
Melbecke,  Lieutenant,  108. 
Moravians,  51. 
Moore,  Richard,  100. 
Mulhallon,  John,  61. 
Mitchell,  George,  15,  17,  17,  19,  19,21,  71. 
Mill,  Mathers',  8. 
4  Mill,  Stover's,  12 

Mill,  Hoover's,  20. 
Millarstown,  49,  54,   57,   61,   62,   72  ;   Troops 

March  for,  100  .'  Army  Encamped  at,  108. 
Michael,  Nicholas,  41,  42. 
Military  Force  Called  for,  73. 
Militia,  Requisition  from,  75. 
Mount  Vernon,  3. 
McHenry,  James,  76. 
McClerachan  B.,  An  Agitator,  138. 
Moretz,  At  Meeting,  44. 


Nazareth,  48,  51. 

Nanticokes,  52. 

Nace,  Enos,  P.,  97. 

Newtown,  Troops  Rendezvous  at,  78  ;  Troops 
reach,  79. 

New  York,  Troops  Leave,  78  ;  Troops 
March  from,  79. 

New  Jersey,  Requisition   for  Malitia  on,  80. 

Nichols,  Colonel,  50,  64  ;  Marshal  Makes  Ar 
rests,  48,  70. 

Nitschman,  David,  51. 

Northampton,  Opposition  to  Law  in,  38. 


Officers,  Letters  About,  95,  109. 
P 

Pardon,  Recommendations  for,  130  ;  Proc 
lamation  of,  135  ;  Cabinet  Divided  on,  136; 
Proclamation  of,  136. 

Patriot,  Boston,  138. 

Penrose,  Daniel,  31  ;  Penrose,  David,  93. 

Pennsylvania,  i,  4,  5  ;  The  State  of  99  ;  The 
Governor  of  73  ;  The  State  of,  75. 

Peters,  Judge,  Deposition  Sent  to,  46  ;  Ex 
amine  Witnesses,  46,  46. 

Peters,  Judge,  54,  69,  72  ;  John  Fries  Ex 
amined  Before,  98  ;  Called  as  Witness,  120. 

Pheister,  George  L-,  22. 

Philadelphia,  7,  18  ;  The  Marshal  Leaves  to 
Serve  Subpoenas,  48,  59,  62,  64,  65,  72,  73  ; 
The  Troops  Leave,  81,  81  ;  Prisoners  in 
Jail  at,  113. 

Pickering,  Timothy,  71  :  The  Views  of,  133. 

Poll  tics,  The  Condition  of,  36  ;  The  Influence 
of,  109. 

Porter,  James  M.,  Recollections  of,  123. 

Posse,  The  Marshal's,  63,  64,  65. 

Pottery,  Penrose's,  100. 

President,  The,  3,  4  ;  He  Issues  a  Procla 
mation,  69,  69. 

Proclamation,  The  President,  72,  73. 

President,  The  and  Cabinet,  4. 

Pulaski,  Count,  53. 

Porter  and  Wharton,  Captains,  Search  for 
Fries,  93. 


Quakertown,  9,  13,  22,  23,  29,  30,  32  ;  What 


Took  Place,  35,  93,  97  ;  Army  Encamped 
at  100,  108 ;  The  Army  Leaves,  108  ; 
Quincy,  Mr.  Adams  at,  131. 

R 

Rawle,  William,  117. 

Rawle  and  Sitgreaves,  118. 

Rebellion,  Fries,  2,  13  ;  The  a  National  Af 
fair,  73,  75  ;  Fries,  a  Factor  at  Jefferson's 
Election,  137  ;  Great  Men  at  Bottom  of,  138. 
Cost  of,  140  ;  Shays',  i  ;  Shays',  73. 

Revolution,  The,  i,  53. 

Reed,  Collinson,  5. 

Railroad,  The  North  Pennsylvania,  92. 

Reading,  5  ;  Troops  March  to,  in  ;  Troops 
March  from,  112  ;  Outrage  at,  112. 

Ritter,  Martin,  55. 

River,  Lehigh,  57,  61. 

Road,  Ridge,  81  ;  The  Old  Bethlehem,  91,  97, 

Roberts,  Israel,  17,  20,  21,  71,  121. 

Roberts,  Daniel,  68. 

Rodrock,  John,  (>,  16,  17,  22,  28,  31  33. 

Rodrock  and  Foulke,  32. 

Rodman,  Lieutenant,  W.  M.,  78. 

Roberts,  Enoch,  35. 

Roths,  Christian,  59,  61. 

Rocks,  The,  100. 

s 

Savannah,  53. 

Sacket,  Alfred,  18. 

Schmyser  Michael,  5. 

SchaefTer,  George,  44,  49. 

Schymer,  John,  44 

Schlaugh,  Philip,  59,  65. 

Schlichter,  Andrew,  The  Farm  of,  92. 

Schneider,  Jacob,  112. 

Sellersyille,  13  ;  The  Present,  92. 

Schneider,  Jacob,  113. 

Sentinel,  Bull  Shot  by,  in 

Shawnese,  52. 

Shankwyler,  49,  50,  72,  60. 

Shays'  Daniel,  i. 

Shoemaker,  Captain,  79. 

Shewell,  Nathaniel,  107. 

ShifFert,  Andrew,  55. 

Sims,  Captain,  77,  78. 

Singmaster,  18,  29,  30,  77. 

Sitgreaves,  U.  S.  Attorney,  42  ;  U.  S.  Dis 
trict  Attorney,  Draws  up  Form  of  Warrant, 
46  ;  126,  139. 

Smith,  Peter,  29. 

Snyder,  Mr.,  48,  39. 

Spangenberg,  Bishop,  52. 

Spring  House,  Headquarters  at,  82. 

Store,  Rufe's,  18. 

Staeler,  Captain,  62 

Stephen,  Adam,  51,  72. 

Spinnerstown,  17  ;  9. 

Sumneytown,  98. 

Swartz,  Daniel. 


Tax,  Direct,  Passed,  3  ;  On   What  Laid,  83  ; 

Rates  of,  84  ;  Law,  Unpopularity  of,  37. 
Tavern,  Rodrock's,  18. 

Tavern,  Jacob  Fries',  27,  25,  26,  27,  29,  123. 
Tavern,  Enoch,  Roberts,  29,  31. 
Tavern,  Sellers',  30  ;  Troops  March  from,  99, 

91. 

Tavern,  Mitchell's,  27,  68,  71. 
The  Spring  House,  91. 
Tavern,  Gennes,  55. 
Tavern,  Gary's,  15. 
Tavern,  Ritter's,  57,  60. 
Tavern,  Conrad  Marks',  62. 
Taylor,  Captain,  77. 


THE   FRIES   REBELLION. 


Tavern,  The  Sun,  58,  60,  62. 

Tanyard,  Lester's,  97. 

Terror,  System  of,  102,  103. 

Trenton,  Troops  Reach,  79. 

Trail,  Judge,  42. 

Treasury,  Secretary  of,  4,  5,  21. 

Thomas  William,  23. 

Thomas,  Samuel,  97. 

Thomas,  Edward,  97. 

Trexlertown,  Meeting,  at,  45  ;  Captain  Jar- 

rett's  Company  at,  45. 
Trumbower,  Chased  by  Soldiers,  94. 
Trumbauersville,  17,  22,  23,  26. 
Township,  Milford,   8,  7,  6,  12,  12,  14,   16,  *5, 

29,  32,  67,  71. 

Township,  Rpckhill,  12,  13,  92. 
Township,  Tinicum,  18. 
Township  Richland,  6,  6,  97. 
Township,  Hatfield,  8. 
Township,  Plumstead,  6. 
Township,  Plainfield,  12,  13. 
Township,  Bushkill,  13. 
Township,  Weisenburg,  40. 
Township,  Lynn,  40. 
Township,  Lehigh,  59  ;  Twelve  Arrested  in, 

48. 

Township,  Hamilton,  40,  41. 
Township,   Upper  Milford,  40;  Meeting  in, 

Township,  Chestnut  Hill,  39. 
Township,  Moore,  40. 

Township,  Penn,  40. 

Township,  Low  Hill,  40. 

Township,  Heidelburg,  40. 

Troops,  American,  53. 

Troops,  Regular,  Ordered  Out,  78. 

Troops  March,  So ;  Instructions  for,  80  ; 
March  for  Quakertown,  99  ;  March  from 
Sellers'  Tavern,  100  ;  Alarmed,  106  ;  Ex 
cesses  Committed  by,  109  ;  Their  Presence 
Inspires  Terror,  100. 


U 

United  States,  The,  26,  69,  70,  60,  71 ;  The 
Laws  of  the,  61,  75,  82  ;  The  Seal  of  the, 
71  ;  Interest  of  the,  74  :  The  Officers  of  the, 
69  :  The  President  of  the,  70,  73,  82. 


Valley,  Wyoming,  52. 
VanBuskirk,  49. 
Verdict  Rendered,  125. 
Virginia,  3,  21. 


Washington,  2,   3,   10  ;  Mistaken     Policy  of, 

Wells,  Isaiah,  123. 

Whigs  and  Tories,  103. 

Wheeler,  Israel,  5. 

Whiskey,  n. 

Witnesses  Called,  121. 

Wiedner,  Daniel,  26. 

Wiedner,  27. 

Winters,  Cnristopher,   59. 

Williams,  Lieutenant,  John,  80. 

Whitemarsh,  8,  10,  142. 

Wolcott,  Oliver,  138  ;  Favor?  Execution,  134. 

Woolstencraft,  Lieutenant,  79.  «~~ 

Wood,  Mr.,  138  ;  Fries'  Observation  to,  134- 

Wyker,  Reuben  L-,  18. 

Wyker,  George,  18. 

Wyker,  Nicholas,  18. 


Zellers,  30,  30. 
Zeigler,  George  I.,  25,  26. 
Zantzenger,  Paul  5. 
Zinzendorf,  Count,  52,  53. 


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